The heart of a knight
by cabellosdefuego
Summary: Bulma has the heart of an adventurer and builds the ultimate masterpiece to prove it: an armor that no human or alien has ever seen before. Vegeta is the only one who understands the fire burning inside of her and decides to train her, discovering that this little human female was much bolder than he ever thought.
1. The heart of a knight

It was a warm summer night and her bare back reflected the startling moonlight. The tattoos that covered her spine were painfully fresh, and she couldn't bare to cover them in fabric just yet. Clothes, yes, were one of her many obsessions. She glanced back to her room from the balcony where she was standing and saw her open closet filled with designer shoes and luxurious dresses. On the bottom drawers, however, laid her most expensive and precious pieces of clothing: ones that had been designed specially by her to resist the hardest conditions, harder than any encountered on Earth. Fire, cold, space travel, extreme pressure, powerful ki attacks, alien weaponry, acid… she lived in a tough universe and she might as well be prepared for it. All the knowledge she had gathered since her childhood about danger and threats, from this world or others, had been transformed into pieces of engineering designed to attack and protect. Now, she was working on one of her masterpieces. Technology that no one had ever seen before, not even the androids or alien kings that were constantly thirsty for human blood. Her pink lips curled into a self-satisfied smile. Space psychopaths, assassins, sadists… she had seem them up close and they had never broken her spirit. Her friends were strong fighters, she was not, but still she had persevered in going with them to see what they saw: power, technologies, civilizations. And she was sure that now, with her latest piece of work, she would not only be a witness of her friends' adventures. She would be unbreakable. A heroine.

Ever since she was a girl she wanted to be an adventurer. Her life revolved around that dream ever since she started discovering the world through Darwin's wise eyes and she felt a beautiful, untamable fire igniting in her very core: she wanted to be not only a woman of science, she wanted to be a pathfinder, a maker, she wanted to see the world and experience it through her own skin, flesh and bones.

Now, her bright, shiny blue hair was pulled up in a messy pony tail that barely grazed the marks drawn on her slender back. The tattoo was an iridescent shade of dark blue. It started below the back of her neck and descended, tracing her spine, down to the small of her back. It still hurt really bad. Her skin burnt and she gasped at the memory of that long tattooing session she had gone through days ago. It had to be done, she thought. Her new invention was going to be part of her body, her skin and her blood. Technology was changing. Humans were morphing to cyborgs and she thought that was a beautiful idea.

Suddenly, a knock on the door caught her attention. When she turned her head she could see her reflection on the window through the corner of her eye, barely recognizing the new appearance of her freshly painted skin. Covering her breasts with an arm and pulling up her shorts, Bulma opened the door to her room.

"I thought you'd never show up" she said cheerfully as her face lit up. "Damn, Bulma, you shouldn't open the door looking like that!" Goku blushed as he tried to cover his eyes. "Don't flatter yourself" she replied, rolling her eyes "I still can't wear any decent clothes because of this". She turned her back to her friend, revealing that work of art that had cost her hours of tears on a cold table. Goku gasped and controlled a sudden, strange urge that made him want to trace the trail of the tattoo softly with his finger. "Wha- what is that?" The girl smiled confidently and cocked an eyebrow. "This, my friend, is just a fragment of my newest invention. Yes, this… this will blow your mind. I have created something amazing. I, singlehandedly - note: SINGLEHANDEDLY - crossed a barrier that will change the destiny of humanity." Her tone had changed from happiness to bubbling pride. Goku leaned back on a chair and smiled as he heard her go on.

"I've created an armor. A unique kind of armor that will increase the power of its bearer to new, unsuspected levels. Skin tight, super light materials… but that's just the beginning, Goku - she started talking faster, barely pausing to breath - this sexy, breathtaking tattoo you see on my back is not just that. It's so much fucking more! It's a code, it's information melted in ink and titanium that connects my very genetic material to the armor I created. It connects the individual's unique genetic code and the armor mutates with it, enhancing your innate powers to unexpected levels… new weapons - Bulma choked on her own words - it's just, just so exciting, the process is just amazing, I can't even begin to describe how…" Too caught up in her excitement, she couldn't help herself from moving her arms to emphasize her own words revealing her bare chest to her childhood friend. "Oh, fuck" Goku mumbled covering his eyes again "Stop doing that!". Bulma covered herself up again and smiled in return. "Sorry, I got carried away." She paced around the room impatiently. "I needed to tell someone, Goku. I needed to tell _you_", she said, looking directly at him with a challenging spark in her eyes "because I need to come with you, guys. I need to go with you tomorrow and be there by your side. I can't stand this immobility… I need to go. Face danger, if you will. I need to learn new things. Be a a part of what's going on."

Goku sighed deeply and rested his arms behind his head. "You are so smart", he said. "A fucking genius, I know" Bulma replied, rolling her eyes. "But I'm serious, Goku!"

"I don't want anything bad to happen to you", he said, honestly "It's just way too dangerous. I could never forgive myself if anything happened to you…" "But you are not responsible for me!" she stated angrily, poking the saiyan's chest with a finger. Goku shook his head in silence "I don't…" Bulma interrupted him abruptly, grabbing his hand and placing it right on top of her heart. The heat and softness of her skin made her friend blush intensely and his eyes widened. "I need someone who understands the fire that's burning me up inside. Do you?", her blue eyes brightly challenging. She truly hoped he would understand. After all, he was also an adventurer. That's why they had been friends for 10 years.

"Bulma" Goku's voice came out freakishly weak " I REALLY can't think like this!"

The girl let Goku's hand go with a loud sigh and didn't even try to cover her boobs up when they bounced freely. "Whatever", she mumbled in frustration. "Yamcha would've said that same exact same thing, that cheating dumbass".

Goku struggled to look at her face when he spoke: "Listen, you're the coolest girl I've ever know. Ever. If I've got as far as I've got it's because of you. We can't do without you Bulma, we just can't afford to lose you." He lifted her chin softly "Tomorrow me and the guys will leave because the Namekians need us, but we'll be back in no time. I swear. And the Earth still needs its top scientist, right?" "Right", she mumbled emptily. "Then it's settled!" Goku said cheerfully and rubbed his hands in excitement "Now, you told me over the phone that your mom had made cookies…"

Bulma had put on the biggest t-shirt -one of Yamcha's- she found on her closet to go down to her lab and review the final details of the armor. The pain on her back was fading away but she still couldn't resist having her tight tops against her sore skin just yet. It was already past midnight and the third coffee of the night. She slid her fingers through a small touch screen device and frowned as she focused on the pieces she still needed to put together. Suddenly, the sound of the Gravity Room closing heavily made her jump. She had spent so many days finishing up the prototype that she had almost forgot about certain saiyan prince that usually got a great deal of her attention, and also, spending a few days confined in her room, topless, after getting her tattoo done had distracted her from watching him.

He must've finished training, she thought. So late, yes. Vegeta was certainly stubborn. His goals were extremely important to him -hell, did anything else matter to him?- and he wouldn't stop for anything or anyone to achieve them. "Fucking workaholic", she said with a soft chuckle. She then realized were she was -down at her lab, obsessing over engineering details that could wait until tomorrow- and let her face fall flat on her desk. "I'm pathetic" she moaned. Goku didn't want her to come on their latest mission and she knew it would be dangerous. Okay, he had a point, but damn, she had worked so hard. The prototype was still failing but she was dying to try it on real, stressing situations. On space. On battle.

_Something burning inside of her that couldn't be tamed._

As she opened an eye, her head still laid on the desk, the image of Charles Darwin appeared before her. The Origin of Species was the first book her father had given her and she always kept it near her reach on her personal bookshelf. That book was a leading light for her purpose in life: she was a natural born traveler and discoverer, a lover of science and challenges. She turned her head around and saw the prototype facing her. The Darwin. Darwin. Yes. That was it: she found the perfect name. Brushing some blue strands of hair away from her face, Bulma stood up and walked towards the armor. It looked nothing created by man before. _By man_, Bulma grinned at the thought. As soon as she slid her finger through the scales on the armor she felt a heat building up on her skin, pooling in her spine. The tattoo. It was calling for it to be used. So slick, shiny and powerful. She bit her lip and hesitated before she shook all her insecurities away and pulled the armor out of the container. After stripping completely, she slid into Darwin slowly.

The tight armor -made of a bright blue material, that shone like siren scales- fit her body perfectly and she felt a great, new sense of power as the spine of the prototype connected to hers through the fresh tattoo. The helmet covered her wide blue eyes with a screen of flexible and internet connected glass that revealed more about reality that she could think. It gave her eyes a whole new scanning ability that surpassed just ki levels. It revealed detailed information about _everything she saw. _Painful at first and then strangely pleasurable, the last emotion that invaded her was a violent rush of nausea. She tried to take a short step but her knees trembled. She was actually just starting to know Darwin. Well, she _had_ built it, but wearing it, connecting to it and let it change her was a totally different experience.

"Well, well, don't you look kinky"

Fuck. That voice.

Bulma turned around shakily, still hardly controlling her body. Of course _he_ was there -who else could have such perfect timing-, leaning against the doorframe staring at her, a slight grin curving his lips. "I don't remember inviting you in here, Vegeta". She tried her best to hide the fear of falling like a baby learning to walk. "Let me guess" he said, disregarding her comment. "Your weakling boyfriend wants to spice things up so he asked you to dress up as a sexy, slutty heroine".

Bulma frowned. Fucking monkey prince with that fucking jerky attitude. "I don't have time for your little games". She struggled not to show how strange and dizzy she felt and straightened up to face him, gathering as much dignity as she could. The image of Yamcha popped on her mind and her gut clenched. Boyfriend. He was not her boyfriend anymore, not after everything had changed between them. He, cheating, and she… well… having a saiyan living in her home.

"You're crazy" Yamcha had spat the words at her "Vegeta is not a pet! He is a goddamn ALIEN, a deadly one for all I know" "I know who he is" she fought back "And I know what I'm doing". He didn't believe her, of course. Things had got so hard, she didn't even know when it all got so complicated.

The flashback appeared as fast as it faded when she encountered Vegeta approaching her silently. All his moves were always so silent. So much like a predator. A perfect predator. Slowly, he grabbed her helmet from both sides and gently pulled it off her head, revealing her shiny, long, straight blue hair. He tossed the helmet aside callously against the thick, metal wall. It crashed violently against it and the saiyan was secretly surprised that the helmet bounced without a scratch. He had used a small amount of strength when throwing it, mostly out of distraction, but that would've surely crashed any other laughable human armor he had seen.

He frowned at the objects resistance and stared intensely into her bright blue eyes. "Seriously, human, what is this?" Bulma cleared her throat before speaking, relieved that the nausea was fading away but it was rapidly being substituted by something else- a sort of unexplainable excitement that invaded her every time he approached her, every time they got into of their countless arguments. This time, he seemed genuinely interested below that mask of annoyance that she already knew too well. Now that she thought of it, she always discovered interest in his eyes in some sort of way. She challenged him every day with that pretty mouth and unbeatable brain, and he was strangely fascinated by the way this fearless little human female stepped up to him while even her strong friends fled.

"This is unseen technology in our planet, Vegeta" Bulma's voice wasn't cocky as it was when she explained the same to Goku "And I'll use it to get stronger so I can see what you've seen". What you've seen. Funny she would say something like that. That someone would've wanted to see the horrors that he'd seen navigating the darkest places in the universe. Yes, this confirmed what he'd always thought of the woman: she was insane. No turning back. Coo coo.

She spoke with great passion but held it back, not wanting to appear exposed before him. Her eyes, however, couldn't hide the fire, the urge to move. He immediately recognized it, that fire. He had seen it a few warriors he'd known long ago. In some of his fellow saiyans as well… maybe even in himself. A pulse, an inner force that couldn't be tamed. Below all of his anger and thirst for revenge, he recognized it as a homely feeling that rested deep down of him too, something that kept him moving and prideful even in the darkest hours.

He couldn't believe it. A skinny little blue haired girl, with all of her evident weakness, had a spirit that belonged in the body of a knight. She was insane, yes, but she was reckless. Determined. Hungry and lustful.

Vegeta was impassive as he suddenly turned her around, pinning her against a wall and exploring the back of the armor with a thorough gaze. "What the fuck, Vegeta?!" she fought as he struggled to get the armor off her. "That hurts! You don't understand!" she squealed in pain as he pulled the back plate with strength that hurt her violently. He rapidly realized that she wasn't just _wearing _the armor: the material had become part of her, melting into her spine. With a weak movement she brought her left arm near her face and traced her fingers through her forearm, tracing a pattern that suddenly dislodged Darwin and it fell apart on the ground, leaving her naked and gasping against the wall, her back fully exposed to him. As the sight of the blue tattoo over he white creamy skin struck him, he felt the exact same urge that Goku had experienced earlier that night. He didn't hesitate to reach out his hand and run his fingers, tracing the lines of iris decent ink with delicious softness. She didn't quite understand what was going on yet - it had all happened so fast - but she was amazed that the saiyan prince could be able to touch like that. Her skin didn't hurt anymore, and the moan that escaped her lips was the tell tale beat of her sudden rush of desire.

At the sound of it, Vegeta stopped abruptly. She didn't see him, but she could feel something had happened to him.

"I'll help you learn how to use it" he said dryly.

"You… are you…?"

"I'm not going to Namek with those insects you call friends, so yes, I can help you train"

She was shocked at his offering.

"Why?" she questioned, still facing the wall.

"Because I need something to do"

With that, he turned on his heels and left the room, leaving Bulma smiling in awe. She felt a rush of excitement invade her muscles and blood started pumping violently through her heart. "What the hell are you so happy about, Bulma Briefs?" she said to herself, before realizing she was completely naked. The second thought that struck her was that way too many aliens had seen her undressed body for one night.

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Hello, readers! Thank you all who took the time to read chapter one. This is the first fanfic I've written since I was 12 (I'm 25 now, you do the math), and I couldn't be more excited about it. Heh. I apologize for any grammar or spelling mistakes, English is not my native language but hey, I do my best ;) Reviews are of course welcome, and please let me know what you think.

Thanks again to all who read!

Krilin, Yamcha and Goku watched as Bulma was working on the ship they'd be taking to Namek. One of her engineers was assisting her as she went through the wires mumbling numeric sequences below her breath. Even though she had a respectable group of highly qualified geeks and PhDs working for her –okay, for her father too- Bulma still liked to get things done on her own, especially when it came to space travel engineering. With a tired sigh, she stood up, drying the sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand, which left her a black grease stain right on her pretty face. The sun shone brightly over her backyard and the smell of the barbecue that Chi Chi was making made her realize that she was incredibly hungry.

"So?" Krilin asked, expectantly. "Yah, it will be ready for you guys to leave tonight" Bulma replied wearily, letting herself fall on one of the sunloungers near the pool. She wouldn't admit how mad she was at having to stay behind this particular trip… the message sent by the Nameks wasn't clear about their situation but they were surely in danger. But what danger could that be? Frieza and his creepy family of powerthirsty wackos was dead, and the only other deadly space villain she knew was living under her own roof. Then why was Goku being so apprehensive? She had always known how to defend herself before. Why wouldn't he believe in her and respect her as an equal? Why didn't he believe how amazing Darwin was, the great potential that she had? And why the fuck was she looking for his approval? Angrily, she grabbed a beer and opened it violently before she gulped the liquid. She frowned as she remembered the excitement she felt last night when Vegeta told her he'd help her use the armor. He was probably just playing with her. That bastard prince wouldn't help baby Jesus if he asked, and he wanted to help_ her_? _Oh please_. She crashed the beer can in her delicate but grease stained hand and threw it to the pool with a high pitched, angry squeak. Then, that voice again.

"You throw like a girl"

Bulma covered her eyes in anger with the palm of her hands, expanding the black stain on her face. She turned around frowning and Vegeta was there, silent as a stalking wild cat. At the sight of her dirty face, messy hair and the beer she'd tossed aside, he smirked:

"But you look like a truck driver"

She was hot and tired and frustrated and barely managed to mutter the words drenched in despise: "I swear to you Vegeta, if I had a fucking chain saw right now…"

Bunny interrupted the scene, speaking cheerfully between the two of them "Honey! A lovely woman is here to see you!" Bulma's burning eyes never left Vegeta's as she spoke "Who, mom?" "A lovely woman from the United Nations" The UN in her house again? Those guys never showed up unless something very messed up was going on, especially regarding her building weaponry. "Perfect" she mumbled with irony as she stood up. Before going inside the house, she stopped and poked the saiyan in the chest with a finger while stating menacingly "I am not done with you".

Bulma left cursing below her breath and Vegeta watched her walk with silent fascination before following her inside.

The sun still shone brightly over the Z fighters while they all exchanged puzzled looks after witnessing that whole scene. "Okay… it just weirds me out to see them flirting all the time!" Krilin suddenly spoke. Uncomfortable silence was his only answer. "What? _Someone _had to say it; they're all over each other all the time. IT_ IS_ WEIRD!" All the looks shifted to Yamcha. He sunk in his seat trying to avoid the sense of self-pity that invaded him. "Yeah, well, I am so over her anyways", he muttered as he rolled his eyes. Chi Chi broke the tension announcing loudly that the food was ready, and everyone rushed to the barbecue with relief to have something to talk about.

Goku smiled to himself and remembered Trunk's bright blue eyes that reflected so well his parents' spirits. The image was swiftly brushed away by the sudden awareness that food was being eaten… without him!

The woman expecting her in the meeting room didn't seem surprised to see Bulma in hotpants and covered in spaceship grease. However, Bulma gasped at the sight of her – she scanned the 50 something year old woman from the top of her short gray hair to the tip of her low heeled, dark leather shoes. Her skin was tanned and dry and her dark brows gave her round face a terrible aura of harshness and wisdom. Her modest, thick jacket and long woolen skirt made her look severe, and everything about her presence screamed that she was a woman made in the roughest corners of Earth. From the desert, maybe, or from the frozen fields of ice down south. What disturbed Bulma the most was the haunting presence surrounding her: it seemed that she was surrounded by something dark and painful. Ghosts.

"Bulma Briefs?"

"Yes" she answered shyly.

"My name is Gia M. I am a representative of the United Nations defense department." She extended her certification to the young scientist.

Bulma rushed into a heated explanation: "I've sent thorough reports about the ships and weapons I've built lately, they're nothing but experimental…"

Gia raised her hand, signaling her to stop. Bulma obeyed immediately, surprised by her own submission. She felt like a little girl standing in front of a fearsome schoolteacher.

"It has come to my attention that you have built something quite unique" Gia said "and that it hasn't been included in your reports." Her tone was firm but somehow warm, like holding a secret invitation. It should've been threatening, but there was something about her expression, her somehow welcoming face that hinted there another intention below her words. Bulma immediately knew this was about Darwin. Oh, shit. No, they couldn't possible take it away from her, her masterpiece, her top secret project that she'd hidden from the authorities so well. If they found out they would surely take it, analyze it, ban it or sell it. She rapidly went over her work, where she might've failed to conceal her plans from those annoying smartasses she worked with. Of course, one of those little geniuses must've found a way to find the prototype… She had spoken about it to Goku and Vegeta but she trusted those two with her life.

Bulma snapped out of her thoughts with a blink and turned to Gia once again. "How did you find out?" she asked, frowning. "Is it true…" the older woman continued, ignoring Bulma's question "that it can endure even space travel?"

What sort of question was that? Wasn't she going to take it away, no questions asked? If they took Darwin all they needed to do was run some tests on it and find out all the secrets it held. Bulma answered out of mere surprise. "Yes, it can." Her hands were shaking but she locked them together to stop them from showing the rush of fear and adrenaline that had invaded her. "_And so much more than that_".

Gia glanced at her from the corner of the eye and a soft smile flashed through her hardened features. "That's what I thought. You truly are brilliant, Bulma" Was Gia playing with her? Where was this conversation going? She might as well just take everything away quickly. The faster the better, anything to avoid this gut clenching moment. While sighing slowly, Gia took off her dark, long jacket and placed it carefully on one of the nearby chairs. Her movements were gentle, as if trying to demonstrate her non-threatening nature. "There is something I'd like to ask you. If you were to agree, it would be most convenient for both of us."

What could this strange woman possibly want? Money? It didn't seem by her austere looks that she'd ask for such a thing. Bulma nodded silently and Gia went on, her voice turning lower as she spoke: "You are aware that if this invention of yours came to the attention of the rest of the UN authorities, it will certainly be confiscated and examined, probably dismantled"

"Well, isn't that what you're here to do?"

"Not exactly, miss Briefs. I… I would be willing to overlook the information about the Darwin prototype on my report if certain… _conditions _could be met."

"What are you saying, Gia? Is it money? That's what you're asking? Hell, look around you!" Bulma's words came out emphatically. "I can and will pay any price you ask to keep the armor safe with me and confidential"

Gia shook her head calmly while she briefly glanced at her rough, wide hands. "No. It's not money or anything related to it".

Bulma stared at her in silence, her breathing barely agitated.

"I need you to find my son"

"What?"

"My son, Yin." Gia's confidence seemed to crack under the name of the boy and her face darkened. "He was taken. He's lost. After seeing your prototype I am sure that you the only one who could find him"

A lost boy? Why wouldn't this woman go to the police? She had power, a high charge at the UN and probably a respectable network of spies (surely that's how she got to Bulma's prototype). Where could that boy be that he needed to be rescued with something as powerful as Darwin?

"Motherhood changes everything" Gia continued, her severe tone hardening "It changes everything, Bulma. It leads you to insanity. One shouldn't love as much…" She gasped.

"W-where do you think he might be?" Bulma suddenly asked, as fear invaded her body. The woman's dark aura seemed to tower over her and her skin contracted by a sharp goose bump.

Gia hesitated before she stated the following horrifying words:

"Yin commited suicide ten years ago."

Bulma couldn't think straight. The sole presence of Gia before her seemed to be sucking the air out of her lungs, she felt fear and a tight, painful knot on her chest as she tried to make sense to what was going on. Was this woman crazy?

"But he came back after that. He came back to me, not physically, but his spirit was here with me. I could feel him and sometimes even hear him and see him. Now, he's gone again. Taken. I believe he's not even on Earth anymore. I need, desperately need to have him back with me. I know that you can help me, Bulma"

"_Are you really asking me to fetch a ghost_?" she said in disbelief.

"Yes" Gia answered solemnly.

Bulma rubbed her forehead as she wondered how many beers she had by the pool. Just one? Impossible. She must be drunk or schizoid.

"Where in the world would I even start looking?" the young scientist asked disorientedly.

"Near the Borges moon of Namek"

A rush of warmth struck Bulma's back in a sudden move as she bumped into someone's well built body: it was Vegeta standing right behind her. For how long had he been in the room without her noticing? And how did he have the answer for this woman's uncanny request?

"Certain places on outer space are filled with seething masses of ghosts" Vegeta said with gravity, sending chills down Bulma's spine "Places no one ever wants to meet on their route if they want to keep their mind in the right place". He knew because he probably saw places like that under Frieza's command. He had been a deadly traveler once –so long ago, it seemed to her- and maybe he'd seen those horrifying places with his own eyes. She turned to face him, still holding her hands together to keep them from shaking "Are you fucking serious? Did you hear what this woman just said?" Vegeta glanced at her with a frown and growled. "Watch your mouth in front of the diplomat, woman!"

He then turned to Gia, who remained dark and strong like an old tree, standing in the middle of the room. "Bulma accepts the task. She's leaving tonight".

Gia had left an hour ago and Bulma was still stunned by the whole situation. When she thought about going on an adventure, this is not what she had in mind… she'd thought of her as a self-reliant explorer who'd go around new worlds classifying, naming and studying new minerals and life forms, not that she'd be thrown right away to face some horror movie like plot involving dark, creepy women, suicidal kids, ghosts from outer space and the possibility of loss of sanity. She held her head between her hands as she glared at Vegeta angrily from across the table in the garden. The rest of the Z fighters were chatting cheerfully near the barbecue while the saiyan and the scientist sat facing each other, speaking below their breath so the others wouldn't hear.

"Shit, Vegeta, I can't believe you got me into this!"

"It _is _what you wanted, human. Wasn't this the whole point of building that little costume of yours?"

"But I'm not ready! I can't even fucking walk with the thing on!"

"I said I would help you."

"The trip to Namek takes a week on that new ship. Let's say we do it, I sneak on the ship and then what? I'll manage to use Darwin's full potential in one week?"

Vegeta growled as he rose himself to approach his face to her menacingly. Why did she keep doubting she'd be able to achieve anything? From all the stupid, whiny humans he'd met on Earth, she was definitely the least pathetic. Her insecurity disgusted him, angered him. Someone with the fire he'd found in her eyes the other night shouldn't be as scared as she was. What the hell was wrong with her?

"Listen to me you little bitch: you will learn in one week. You'll get on the ship to Namek tonight with me and the rest of the weaklings and I'll make personally sure you and your toy become least pitiful. Do I make myself clear?

Bulma rolled her eyes "Stop bossing me around! " She sighed as she glanced at the enormous ship parked on her back yard and spoke calmly: "Fine. If I don't go that old wife will take Darwin away anyhow. And yes… it _is _what I wanted, sort of. This is all just so strange and scary, don't you think? Ghosts in space? Sounds awful."

"Haven't you seen Solaris, woman?"

She cocked an eyebrow, surprised at Vegeta's cinematographic reference. She couldn't picture the alien prince interested in something of that kind, so holding back a chuckle she asked: "Have _you_?"

"Yes" he answered proudly_ "_I have been studying this so called human civilization during the last year. It has only confirmed what I always thought: you're just weak, violent, messy bastards and probably no creature in the universe would miss you if I decided to wipe you out with a ki blast from my tiny finger".

Bulma smiled. She couldn't help it: the jerk was interested in humanity and that made her inexplicably happy. The beat of her heart filled her body with warmth and excitement at the sight of him and for the first time, she unleashed the strong desire that invaded every inch of every muscle in her. Vegeta's eyes widened in shock as she climbed on the table and threw herself in his arms to hug him tightly, her eyes glowing with joy. "I think you can be super sweet sometimes, tough guy" she said perkily as she tightened her grip against his unmoving body.


	2. Evolution or a mere heart of stone

Hello, readers!

I'm so grateful that you've taken the time to read this fic. It's really made with a lot of love. And a note on Darwin, Bulma's armor: in my pretty little head I pictured it to look like Rei's suit from Evangelion. Review if you find the time! Internet is all about feedback, right? ;)

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Piccolo's eyes were closed as he meditated in one of the 3 training rooms the ship had. The trip had been quiet so far and the namekian enjoyed the deep peacefulness space travel offered him. Constelations passed through the giant windows surrounded by breathtaking, absolute cosmic silence. He knew that peace around the Z fighters never lasted long, so he hanged on to it while it lasted.

The squeak of the door opening startled him out of his trance, and a deep frown curved his brow. Peace was gone, again, and probably, due to the recent events, Namek wasn't the right to look for it either. Someone paced inside the room towards him, an unmistakably powerful ki. He could feel Goku's strong presence as the saiyan sat beside him. "Bulma said she_ had_ to come with us because the Ignited Nations had a task for her near Namek" he explained to the green, tall man with a tired sigh. Bulma was exhausting, especially when she was mad. Boy, could she argue! A science convention on a base near Namek, she'd told him. "United Nations", Piccolo corrected, eyes still thoughtfully closed. "Yeah, that", Goku replied absentmindedly while staring at the star filled dark space and cocked his head slightly to the side "I still don't get why Vegeta came, though. I thought he considered helping the namekians as being…" "A useless, nauseating act of stupidity" Piccolo continued like a child mockingly reciting a prayer.

Goku laughed at the namekian's sudden outburst of sense of humor. He was glad Piccolo had it in him! "Exactly" the saiyan said with a huge smile and a nod. Piccolo opened his eyes to look directly to his friend, playfulness replaced with a hardened tone of severity: "Don't be foolish Goku. Vegeta won't stay with us in Namek. He is only travelling with us because he follows her around like a puppy".

"Stand the fuck up, woman!" Vegeta growled on the training room next to the one where Goku and Piccolo were talking. Bulma's head rested against her knees while she sat on the floor, panting. "I want to throw up" she moaned as she hugged her knees and closed her eyes, tightly. Her forehead brushed against the flexible glass of the blue helmet she was wearing as she tried to hold back the tremors that invaded her. Darwin was a perfect piece of engineering, why did the armor seem to be rejecting her? It was built for her; it was her perfect genetic match… why couldn't she walk in it just yet? Was it because of the helmet? Did the glass before her eyes deliver too much information for her brain to handle? "Stand up, I said! I was not asking!" Bulma's brain worked quickly trying to understand what was going on with her body while coping with the angry saiyan yelling at her. She knew that receiving Vegeta's "help" wouldn't be easy. Hell, she didn't know what his idea of helping someone was. For all she knew, the guy had blasted one of his own comrades when those evil saiyans arrived on Earth. And even though she knew he was dangerous… he just didn't feel like a danger to _her. _Bulma needed Vegeta to understand that she was not a warrior or a soldier, she was just a girl with a freakishly strong will.

"I am not a warrior", Bulma mumbled, still unable to stand up. She buried her face between her knees even further so she wouldn't have to look at his disapproving eyes. Vegeta's strong hand grabbed her delicate arm tightly and pulled her up in one violent move. The pain she thought she would feel when he grabbed her never came, and for the first time she realized that the armor she was wearing was really strong: Vegeta was being anything but gentle and she didn't feel a hint of pain. Darwin's surface gave in below the pressure of Vegeta's fingers, like it was Bulma's second skin. He pulled so her close to him in anger that their noses almost touched, his eyes burning with contained emotions as he spoke "If you are not a warrior then why are you wearing a goddam armor?!".

The rush of adrenaline that struck her shook the nausea out of her body at once. She had to admit it: the prince of jerks had a point. Bulma found a new sense of strength filling her weakened muscles after being pulled up so harshly. Maybe, she thought, all she needed was a little push after all. An almost imperceptible, prideful smiled crossed her lips as she became aware of her new confidence. With a cocky frown and newfound strength, Bulma took the alien hand that had her by the arm and pulled it away vindictively. She tried not to squeal in happiness when she realized how strong she was, while Vegeta's eyes barely widened for a fraction of a second when she removed his hand so easily. "Get your hands off me, _monkey", _the last word slipping through her tongue almost in disgust. Vegeta grinned. That's it, human, there's the fire he wanted: the little bitch was confrontational again. Aggression? Insults? Perfect. This he could handle. "Don't waste my time or I'll blow your fucking head off! Now stand up and walk, weakling!" Vegeta growled. Bulma regained her balance as a million thoughts crossed her agile mind. The crystal screen on her helmet before her eyes revealed overwhelming amounts of data: like a wild river numbers and language ran violently through her eyes. Space coordinates, the ship's speed, the unthinkably powerful ki of Goku and the Z fighters and the ravaging power of her trainer. She then understood that she'd had to learn to control the information Darwin gave her by controlling her own mind. They were one, the armor and her, and she'd had to learn to focus their attention if she didn't want to lose the contents of her stomach or get her brains fried. Bulma straightened her shoulders and thought about Charles Darwin's trip to the frozen southern seas of the Americas to soothe herself. Months trapped in a boat navigating fiords must've been far more nauseating than this, right?

Now, there she was, wrapped in beautiful blue iridescent scales, standing up alone and strong like a defiant aquamarine goddess, star filled infinity to her back. Darwin made her body look unbeatable and drop dead gorgeous -tight, lean, shiny and reckless. The helmet's glass covered her face just until below her eyes and the crystal reflected the lights of the environment, hiding the expression of brightness in her breathtaking glance. She felt Darwin's tight grip filling her spine reassuringly, the new sense of power was intoxicating. Vegeta gasped at the astounding sight, taking a few steps back just to take a better look at her. He took in every detail of her luxuriously covered body, his eyes sliding slower when encountering her exposed neck and cleavage. The saiyan could feel his blood flowing, tightening his muscles and sharpening his already super human senses, involuntarily preparing his body for it's most basic, predatory functions. Oh fuck. Was he aroused by her or just on the alert at the presence of a new possible threat? _It was both_, he concluded. Shit, for fuck's sake. Hopefully she would notice. Er, wouldn't, he meant, hopefully she wouldn't notice. Bulma silently took slow, feline steps towards him, quietly amazed at the control she had on her legs. Good call, Vegeta, he thought to himself. Good luck hiding an erection in training tights.

Yamcha sat in the ship's kitchen table staring at his half empty bowl of cereals. "I don't get it", he complained, tracing circles with the spoon in the milk "She's been in there with that son of a bitch for hours. What's wrong with her? What if that monster hurts her?" Piccolo overheard the conversation from the living room, where he sat on a mat on silence, facing the wall. He was more interested in the events than he cared to admit, so he remained purposefully still until he heard Goku's emphatic reply: "He is not going to hurt her, Yamcha. Trust me". Piccolo's straight expression gave way to a shy, knowing smile. Goku _thought_ he was the only one who knew the truth about future Trunks, but the namekian's psychic abilities were further beyond what anyone expected. He wanted to hear how the saiyan would try to hold Yamcha from disturbing Bulma and Vegeta's 'quality time' together. "You know what the worst part of this is, Goku? _I believe you_. You know why? Because I'm sure that what goddam killer really wants is to get into her pants!" Bingo. Piccolo cocked his head to the side in order to hear better, almost ashamed of himself for his efforts. Goku's voice sounded nervously hesitant "I uh…" "You know what?" Yamcha spoke determinedly "I'll go see what they're doing. I can't… I'll break that nonsense up. She belongs with me." Piccolo heard Yamcha pushing the chair back, scratching the kitchen floor. Goku was really fast to stop him. "Wait! It's not, it's not like that". "Really? How exactly is it, then?" the man's voice turned suspicious "Is there something you're not telling me, Goku? Do you know anything?" Piccolo chuckled. How was the saiyan get it out of this one? He was too stupid to lie convincingly… Yamcha's steps started again and Goku rushed frantically to say "Stop!" A short silence, then the saiyan's voice again "VEGETA IS GAY!"

Piccolo slapped his palm on his forehead as he shook his head. "Damn, Goku!". Did the saiyan really come up with THAT?. Yamcha's voice was strange and shocked as he spoke: "What? Are you serious, Goku?", the man then lowering his tone as if someone could overhear "Vegeta is gay?!" "Yeah, really, very gay. Like, Liberace gay. Gay, gay, gay, gay, gay!", Goku's tone was high-pitched with awkwardness and a nervous laugh escaped his lips.

"How- how do you know?"

"I uh, it's a saiyan thing, you know… all these special senses we have and all…"

"Like a saiyan gay-radar or something?" Yamcha couldn't sound more confused.

"Sure, that. Heh. That makes sense, right?"

"Oh" the man said, still in shock "I guess it kind of makes sense, though" Yeah… that perfect face, perfect body. And the fact that he hadn't seen Vegeta with a woman, ever, except for Bulma, and he had probably spent lots of time with other men in space while serving as a slave on Frieza's army. Frieza was in fact sort of effeminate himself.

Yamcha spoke scratching his chin, still puzzled. "So he's gay, huh?" Goku nodded emphatically "Yup, that's right". Yamcha let himself fall on the chair once again and sighed deeply before stating loudly "Oh, I am totally ok with that. He's cool, Vegeta's cool. I couldn't be more ok with that. He's a cool guy, yeah." "SURE" Goku replied forcefully, patting Yamcha's shoulder. "And I'd appreciate if we could, uh, keep this to ourselves, you know. Vegeta isn't the kind of guy who would mind me telling…" "Of course. Thank you for your honesty". The young saiyan felt his gut clench and sweat pooling on his forehead. Lying was one of the things he sucked at, and definitely hated to do it. But hey, at least Trunks's existence was safe for now.

Bulma felt Vegeta's ki rising in a funny way as she approached him. Still not fully aware of how to interpret the numbers on her screen, she was happy she'd at least learned to focus on the data she wanted. Her confident smile could be seen clearly but Vegeta couldn't still tell the shape of her eyes below the glass. Why was she smiling like that? Fuck, did she notice? She took another step towards him and he retreated two, his body involuntarily taking a combat defensive position. "I look like the kids from Evangelion", Bulma said, amused. "You look stupid" Vegeta replied while rapidly picturing anything that could be a turnoff: Frieza's knees, JarJar Binks, a singing and dancing worm… "But how you look is not important, weakling" he spat, forcing his voice to sound as harsh as he could, "Lets see what your toy can really do". A wolfish grin curled his lips when he abruptly grabbed the metallic doorknob behind him and pulled it off with his right hand, ripping the thick metal door like paper. Before Bulma could blink, he threw it tempestuously against her with super human force and speed. With an agility that seemed to come from nowhere, Bulma's brain and body calculated the speed and trajectory of the object perfectly - with astonishing precision and grace she bent her forearm before her and repelled the knob with a sharp hit. The impact of the fast projectile agains Darwin's lean surface caused sparks to fly before it crashed heavily against one of the walls. Vegeta watched impassively and only nodded approvingly. "Interesting" he muttered. The woman removed her helmet with both of her hands and tossed it aside, a deep frown across her brown that only revealed a tiny part of the anger she actually felt. Yes, great idea, little genius: that's what you got when you trusted a homicidal maniac to help you. "What the fuck is your problem, Vegeta?!", she complained, punching him in the chest with a closed fist. It wasn't intended to hurt him, but the prince was surprised to feel strength on a hit that should've been as soft as a butterfly batting its winds… he had long known that the girl was smart, probably smarter than any creature he'd ever known, and it plainly amazed him. Why didn't any of her worthless friends seem to acknowledge what a valuable asset she was? Hell, if she had served under Frieza's army, she probably would've been one of the top generals in the court. And yet, there she was in front of him, that predatory fire in her eyes again, which seemed enticingly bluer against her blushed cheeks and pink full lips.

"Where you trying to fucking kill me?!" she cried, punching him one more time. The saiyan brushed a blue strand of straight hair away from her face with a gentle finger and that only seemed to lighten the flames.

"If I wanted to kill you there would be no _trying_, human, I'd just do it_._" he said coldly.

"Of course you would" she answered in disbelief right before feeling his strong arms surrounding her waist and his absolute, extraterrestrial heat invaded her.

Bulma didn't hesitate when she pressed her lips against his in the boldest kiss she'd ever given, and was excited to be greeted by his utter, welcoming acceptance.

* * *

Bulma's blue hair brushed her nose and lips, sticking to her sweaty skin, heavy pants violently driving her wet chest up and down and her furious heart was pumping fiercely. He wasn't done with her yet… but she felt she'd break down at any point. Vegeta gathered another ball of shiny blue ki on the palm of his hand and discharged it towards her as he would've done with any of his previous enemies. In all of her years with Goku, Bulma had seen fights like this countless times, she just never thought she'd take active part in anything like it. She should have been terrified. The prince of all fucking saiyans had been attacking her for hours –she had lost track of time by now, but she was sure they had been in that room for a tortuously long time- with powerful ki blasts that exploded like lightning. He stood there without a single expression on his face besides stoic seriousness, just raising his hand over and over to charge against her relentlessly as he watched her run, dodge, crawl, jump and fall again and again.

She couldn't talk, she couldn't scream, she could barely breath, all she could do was keep her eyes open to see the next blast coming towards her. Bulma had been hit several times: she had crashed against the walls painfully; she had fallen on her knees below the heat and power of the ferocious energy that struck her. This time, there she was again, on her knees, a weak hand reaching out to touch a wall looking for support. Even though she couldn't think straight, she knew she was going to die. Vegeta was going to kill her like he'd killed countless insignificant beings liker her in his short life. How could she be so stupid to trust him, to let him get close to her? He was going to kill her. He was. Probably he just wanted to play around before he did it, like a cat toying with a squeaky mouse before eating the poor thing, and their "training session" had only been an excuse. And their kiss? Only lust taking over their agitated minds. She should've been terrified; instead, she felt beaten but fearless. Another blast, partial hit. Heartbeats resounding on her ears and blurry vision as she curled up on the cold, damaged floor. Maybe exhaustion was playing games with her mind, but she remembered a book she'd read long ago about Christians in the Roman Empire. They would be thrown to the arena to face a certain, gory death, forced to fight each other until no one survived. However, their virtuous nature prevailed and they'd refuse to raise a hand in violence against anyone. Of course, they were punished by the bloodthirsty roman authorities who needed to feed the mob on panem et circenses. She especially recalled a scene where they were thrown to a starving group of dogs and they were tore apart limb by limb by the rabid, hungry animals. They didn't fight back, not out of weakness, but out of faith and conviction. She knew it was just a novel, purely fiction, portrayed by the hand of a romantic nineteenth century writer, but those images shook her deeply. She didn't have that sort of endurance in her, though, and she knew that she had to fight back. But where could she find the flame to ignite her strength? If she kept running from Vegeta's attacks -or worse, plainly receiving them- this might go on forever. How much more could she take?

Bulma closed her eyes tightly when a blinding light shone again on Vegeta's hand, ready to throw another fierce amount of energy at her once more, this time greater than everything that had hit her before. The blue and white energy flowed from the saiyan's body into a flaming projectile of power in his hand. That was it. This is when and how he was going to kill her, a deadly ki blast that would blow her up in pieces in the middle of space, with no Goku or Yamcha coming to save her. Time seemed to melt into a slow moving liquid state as she tried to reach into herself and find something, anything to hang on to. The image of her dad appeared on her mind with beautiful clarity, handing her The Origin of Species when she was just a little girl. Bulma felt a sudden hint of excitement emerging from –and fighting against- pain and exhaustion, the same she'd felt so many years ago when she received that precious gift. The wise face of Charles Darwin appeared in front of her, formed by traces of smoke and heat, and passages from his travel chronicles resounded on her ears. Bulma's eyes widened in awe and fear.

_A scientific man ought to have no wishes, no affections, - a mere heart of stone_.

"But I can't do that!" Bulma cried "I'm weak. I'm not a warrior. I need to go home."

Charles Darwin frowned deeply, giving her a look so full of disgust that froze her to the bones. Then, she felt it: a sudden tremor on her spine that seemed to send electricity through her skin. It was her armor, Darwin, responding. The tattoo that connected her to the armor seemed to warm up and there it was again, another strong electrical shock through her nerves and muscles, tightening them and heating them up in a strange, comforting way. Like he was calling from another dimension, she heard Vegeta's voice fading in the distance: "Stand up, Bulma!" She didn't quite make sense of his words and didn't try to. Was she dreaming?

Charles Darwin spoke again, shaking her to the very core_: _

_I am turned into a sort of machine for observing facts and grinding out conclusions. _

_"_I can't be like that!" Bulma cried back in tears, desperately "I am not like that! I am not like you!" She was no machine, was she? She was an explorer, a discoverer, a scientist, a woman… not a stereotype of cold rationality. She was brains, guts and fire. She may not be a warrior, but she could fight back. At this realization, something snapped inside of her like a blowtorch lighting gasoline: the armor made her shiver again, her nerves and spine bursting into life. She knew who she was and drew her power from there. She had always known who she was.

The saiyan prince stared at her unmercifully, still gathering a deadly amount of ki in his hands. He had shouted her to stand up and there she was, rising from the ground between dust and rubble. He couldn't stand the pathetic view of her hopelssly curled up body on the ground when he _knew_ that somehow, at any moment, she would have to fight back. She just had to. She had the power to do it. When she stood he felt a strong sense of relief that he hadn't felt in years. She was alive. After all these hours under his never ending attacks should've killed any other ordinary being. Hell, even a fighter like that pathetic weakling Yamcha should've died hours ago. But she was no ordinary being, and Darwin, that jaw dropping armor, just reflected the strength she had in her very core. Vegeta was secretly amazed… his expression, however, revealed nothing. "Defend yourself, you pathetic excuse of a human!" he spat harshly when he threw the blast he'd been gathering to beat her. Bulma's eyes widened as she saw the blinding light coming towards her like a tsunami. No fear, she thought. Her blood flowed furiously through her body as Darwin charged up with the same electricity that had helped her rise and fight. Blue strings of electric charge sparked along Darwin's spine, rapidly revolving around her ribs, arms and hands. She could hear her veins cracking with electric power running towards the tip of her fingers, and the invigorating feeling of power that overtook her entire being exploded in an orgasm of light and energy. Her palms wide open –with her own electricity dancing around her fingers like bubbling lava- and her stretched out arms were set to receive the impact of Vegeta's attack. When it crashed against her, the saiyan couldn't believe his eyes.

Bulma shot the ki blast with her bare hands right back at him. He heard her scream with rage as the original attack was enlarged by a field of blue electric discharge, coming from her hands, that merged into Vegeta's ki blast like a savage serpent. When it hit him back with the force of an earthquake, his vision turned brightly white and then, absolute silence.

–

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT LITTLE BITCH KNOCKED ME OUT!" Vegeta groaned, holding the bag of ice against his forehead.

"What the _hell_ were you two doing?" Piccolo asked from the corner of the infirmary room.

"That's none of your business, you green freak" the saiyan replied while his brow twitched with embarrassment. Yamcha approached him and spoke with visceral rage "I swear that if you hurt her I'll…"

"Cut the crap, weakling. I could kill you right know if I wanted" Vegeta roared back, his white wolfish fangs showing menacingly.

"He didn't hurt me" Bulma's voice interrupted the scene when she entered to the room with Goku by her side. Even though there were a few cuts and bruises in her skin, she was definitely in good shape. After showering, her long, straight blue hair fell lose below her shoulders and she'd put on a white tank top with purple pajama pants. Vegeta's eyes narrowed when he saw that damn Kakarot placing his hand protectively on Bulma's shoulder as she spoke. "We were just... training"

"Bulma" Goku said, and Vegeta felt his stomach tighten possessively when he heard her name coming from that third class moron's mouth. He discarded the thought that crossed swiftly through his mind. Jealousy? Nonsense. "What you did there was really impressive. But come on, you told me you'd be going to a science convention. If the United Nations really gave you another mission we should go with you" "Yeah" Krilin continued "And that thing you built is awesome!"

"No, you guys. You have to help the namekians. This... this is something between me and the UN. I'll be good!" Bulma replied with a bright, confident smile. Goku shook his head: "But..."

"You heard the woman, Kakarot!" Vegeta broke in the conversation aggresively "She doesn't need your pathetic help."

Yamcha's anger was only ignited by the saiyan's remark. "Oh, and she needs _your_ help, then?!" Bulma took a step forward towards the bed were Vegeta was, distancing herself from Goku and the others. "Well..." she mumbled. "Well?!" Yamcha inquired.

"She doesn't need _anybody's_ fucking help!" Vegeta was so emphatic when he said this that everyone suddenly went silent.

He still couldn't believe that this group of idiots debated over who could "help" the woman: had they not noticed that she had just knocked him out? On battle? Him, a perfect killing machine forged as an enslaved killer under Frieza's sadistic hand? She was clearly smart and insane and dangerous. And loud and vulgar and vain and gorgeous, that little bitch. She was fun to be around, he thought. Not that he'd ever admit to that.

"That's it" Bulma suddenly said loudly "Everybody get out! Out, out. I need to have a word with his royal highness in private." This time, none of the Z fighters dared to argue.

"So what the hell was that all about?" she asked once they were alone. Vegeta covered his eyes with the bag of ice so he wouldn't give in more information than what he really wanted.

"What was what?" his voice anticipating that he wanted the conversation to be over as soon as possible.

"You know..." Bulma said calmly, slowly sitting by his side on the bed. After receiving no response, she started to lose the calmness the hot shower had given her. "Shit, Vegeta! Us kissing and then you trying to kill me, goddammit!" she couldn't help to burst and her cheeks turned bright pink, while she placed her hands on the bed on each side of the saiyan, cornering him. He slowly removed the ice from his face and Bulma was shocked at the sight: the prince was blushing. He was frowning, relentlessly serious, challenging and blushing.

"I did _not_ try to kill you, woman," he fought back, containing his words from becoming anything emotional, "I was clear about that earlier. That's how you train when you train with me. I don't waste time, I don't play little games. I get the shit done. You wanted to learn to use your pitiful armor? You got it. You can move and you can fight and you're alive."

Their eyes met intensely and they both recognized something that connected the nature of their spirits like a spontaneous spark. They had both heard it before from very different people: they fought so much because they were so much alike. She could see how much of a cliché they could be sometimes: stubborn and conceited, everyone said. Strong and challenging, they preferred to think. They were smart, of course they knew that their fights were more about flirting and the sexual tension between them ignited since day one. Ok, day two, maybe.

"Besides" Vegeta remarked, pridefully: "YOU kissed ME"

Bulma sighed with frustration and turned around to leave.

"Oh, fuck you, Vegeta". She didn't realize right away how carefully she chose those words to get the answer she wanted.

It was like she'd said the secret password: he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back in the bed, gladly playing the script they had both planned but not spoken. Bulma's heartbeats were wild inside her chest and she struggled to maintain the frown she wore when she insulted him.

"Be my guest" he whispered against her hair before kissing her neck and feeling her sharp nails on his back pressing against his tanned skin.


	3. Good night, sweet prince

**Hello readers! It's me again, yay :) First of all, I'd like to thank you all for your kind reviews. I love knowing that there's really someone out there who's reading me. Paulasdf was right when she said that Bulma sounded like a female Iron Man on certain passages... that's EXACTLY what I intended. **

* * *

_Just this one time_, Bulma told herself, like a little girl who knew that would be punished. _Just once and no one has to know._

The only lamp that lit the infirmary room just seconds ago was now crashed on the white, cold floor, resembling the messy way her clothes were lying around the place. A weak blue light coming from the navigation monitor on the back wall was the only thing that could compete against the intermittent luminosity of the millions of stars scattered around the dark vault of space, but it was more than enough for them to see each other perfectly. The electricity she felt running through her veins was different this time. _Better. _When he had dragged her to the bed with him she couldn't even fake to resist, and when he made his way kissing her neck up to her pink, welcoming lips, she didn't hold back a deeply thankful moan. Bulma felt the muscles on the saiyan's well-built body tighten with pleasure before he responded with a delicious purr that seemed to tell that he was melting.

She had always thought that Vegeta had a strong predatory quality that made his presence intense and distinctive, and Bulma couldn't deny she loved that about him. She wasn't quite sure of what she was doing or why. They had been living together for over 18 months and their relationship had never been anything but intense; the spark between them was obvious. They searched for each other with any excuse, whether it was to pick a fight over him not hanging a wet towel or her not fixing the gravity room at his request. They searched for each other over and over and now –finally-, there they were, half naked, alone, together. Eyes closed, heavy breathing and a kind of heat she'd never felt before pooling up her very core, a flash of lucidity hit her brain and realized that back in the training room Vegeta wasn't trying to kill her. _He was treating her as an equal. _Then it struck her: Vegeta not only wanted her, he respected her.

Bulma opened her eyes with a complacent smile that shook Vegeta with its brightness. He had fought against this moment for a long time, he had talked himself into concentrating on his goals, on the battles he had yet to fight, but this little bitch was always there with her short skirts and her quick tongue. What was worse: when she wasn't around he found himself thinking about her blue eyes looking at him with fire inside, and he hated himself for that. He'd spent hours training under unbearable gravity, pushing his body to the limit, trying to find the peace of mind that she'd taken away from him so damn easily. Time had only made things worse. It was all surreal to him: he was living a life that he never expected to have, in a place where entertainment had nothing to do with torture or bloodshed, a place where creatures took interest in him not only because of his power to destroy, but for what he had to say. Furthermost, a place where no one was trying to kill him in his sleep and a place where someone actually took care of him. He remembered countless times where he'd injured himself on his ongoing efforts for becoming the Legendary and she'd always been there. _Worried about him_. How dare she worry about him, the prince of all saiyans! The thought of it was so strange and uncanny that he almost laughed at the absurdity of the whole thing. She was a beautiful, exotic and brilliant creature; even for him, a breathing lethal weapon, not wanting her would be impossible.

But it was all temporary and meaningless.

He WOULD become the Legendary, wait for the androids to arrive, kill them and then kill Kakarot, and then he'd_ finally _be free to leave that pathetic planet that seemed to be desperately trying to crawl beneath his skin. Yeah. That what's he would do.

Slowly, Bulma leaned in to kiss him deeper, sliding her hands playfully down his toned chest and abs to rip his black boxers, the only item of clothing he had left. He gasped, silently surprised by her forward move, shaking him out of his thoughts. The challenging glow on her eyes as she did it sent chills down his spine.

Feisty. He liked that.

The sudden and utter feeling of her soft naked body on top of his pushed him over the edge he was hanging on to. He wouldn't care about the past or the future for now, not now. He was so painfully hard that all he could think about was fucking her like she had never been fucked before… if he was going to leave that goddam planet, he'd make sure his little bitch would never forget him. All her moves screamed she wanted it too, the way her hips slowly teased with a seductive sway, how her breasts were pressed tightly against him, how her mouth was warm and willing.

She was so wet that thrusting into her was deliciously easy, and in response she moaned his name loudly, tightening her legs around his body and lowering her hips to let him go further into her. He couldn't believe he was experiencing something like this, watching her perfect, creamy white skin against his, her long blue hair cascading around her shoulders, the soft light of the monitors and the stars outside softly glowing on her face. Was he really fucking this earthling being? A rush of new excitement shook his racing heart.

"Thank you" Bulma whispered suddenly near his sensitive saiyan ear.

"For what?" Vegeta struggled to talk, not even trying to sound annoyed.

"For believing in me"

"You are worthless to me", he said below his breath, tightening his grip on her to bring her closer "So don't get any ideas"

Bulma's hair was sticking to her forehead, covered in sweat. She brushed it away from her face and kissed him deeply once more.

"Liar", she moaned, the pleasure almost unbearable.

"I should kill you for humiliating me like that" he replied, admiring her glowing, tempting curves.

Bulma slightly rose herself to face him and her lips curled into a naughty smile.

"Maybe now would be a good time to punish me".

With an unbelievably agile and confident move, Vegeta rolled over and pinned her beneath him, spreading her legs and grabbing her wrists dominantly, holding them above her head. A low, deep moan escaped his lips as he thrusted into her over and over again powerfully, making Bulma scream with pleasure.

Hours later, the spaceship was dark and quiet. Bulma had programmed the lights to turn on and off at certain times to maintain a sense of day and night. When she woke up, the saiyan was still there. Sleeping peacefully, it seemed. Her whole body ached because of the roughness of their lovemaking session, preceded by that exhausting training with Darwin.

"This is like the worst hangover ever" she mumbled, sitting on the bed and looking for her clothes. Bulma glanced at the alien lying beside her. "Ugh, what the fuck have I done?"She was completely drained, her skin was still sticky with dry sweat and a warm, dense fluid dripped between her legs. Bulma stood up weakly and her legs trembled.

"At least that saiyan really knows what he's doing", she thought with a chuckle when she remembered the devastating orgasms she'd had over the last few hours. Putting her pajamas back on, she realized she desperately needed a shower. And coffee. And probably a painkiller. Taking her hand to her forehead, she replayed on her everything they had done.

_It had been amazing. _

It even seemed the world looked different, brighter. Her heart was still racing and she desperately wished she could go tell someone -come on, she had just slept with the hottest, ultimate bad boy-, but that was really not an option. No one could ever know, and it would definitely never, EVER happen again.

"Good night, sweet prince" she whispered from the hallway as she started closing the door behind her carefully.

"I tried reading Shakespeare" Vegeta said, still lying on the bed, his back to her.

She was surprised to see he was awake, but she was more surprised to realize he recognized the quote from Hamlet. He had really been studying human civilization over the time he had been living on Earth. Bulma smiled warmly. Why was he doing that? Was he planning on staying? Impossible.

"I found it so intolerably dull it nauseated me. Now leave me alone and close the damn door", the saiyan stated dryly.

Bulma felt hot, flaming rage bursting inside of her.

"You jerk! I can't believe I fucked you!" she yelled, slamming the door shut.

As soon as she spun on her heels to go back to her bedroom, a very angry Bulma met with three shocked faces staring at her in awe. Krilin, Yamcha and Goku, who were returning from their training, were notoriously shocked. Bulma's jaw dropped while her normally brilliant brain rushed to find something to say.

"I uh…"

The three men were still frozen in the exact same position they were in when they first saw her.

Bulma looked at her watchless wrist as she spat nervously: "Whoa, it's late! Night guys!"

With that, she rushed past them clumsily, running back to her room.

Krilin was the first to speak.

"I KNEW IT! I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! HOW WEIRD IS THIS?!"

Yamcha couldn't seem to articulate any word. He turned to Goku with a confused and angry look on his scarred face.

Goku laughed nervously, but was secretly relieved that the saiyan and the scientist had finally gotten together. He shrugged at Yamcha awkwardly.

"Oops. Seems I was wrong."

* * *

A shower, two painkillers and a cup of coffee later, Bulma got back to work. Darwin was put away in a special, transparent container that allowed Bulma to monitor and repair it easily, since it was connected wirelessly to a series of screens: her tablet, her phone, the spaceship monitors and radars. She was sitting in front a desk in her room, which was actually more of a lab with a bed in it, a hot cup of cappuccino on her left hand while she used her right to scroll down the screen of her tablet to check the state of the armor's circuits. It had endured Vegeta's attacks surprisingly well, and Bulma was still amazed at the display of power Darwin had shown with that devastating electricity blast. A self satisfied smirk appeared on her face when she remembered how she'd knocked that cocky saiyan out, but it was rapidly swept away by the memory of his behavior when she'd said goodnight. He had been such an asshole, and at the same time, it was so predictable that he would act like that. Great sex wouldn't change anything between them, certainly it wouldn't change his attitude. _Hamlet is a beautiful play,_ Bulma thought with a pout. _Who could ever find it nauseatingly boring?_. What could that wicked alien know about beauty, anyway?

And then, there was the embarrassment of being caught by Goku, Krilin and… Yamcha. What would they think of her? She might as well just sleep with Frieza himself if she was so fond of evil, sadistic aliens! No. Vegeta was different, she knew that. She knew because she recognized a part of herself in him, just as he did in her. There was something inside of him, on the very breathing core of his being that held something amazing, just waiting to be awoken. The most fascinating thing of all was that he seemed to feel the same about her. She was certain that Vegeta saw something in her spirit that drove him to spend time with her, to train her, something that urged him to witness the prodigious moment when she'd become everything she was meant to be.

A flash of warmth ran through the trail of her tattoo that made her shiver. There it was, again, beating inside of her: a feeling of static charge powering up her blood that reminded her of the amazing new things she was able to do. Bulma sipped her coffee, sighing deeply and trying to relax after all the action she'd gone through these last days. She did not even want to start thinking about what had just happened between her and the monkey prince…

"Arrogant, sexy jerk" she muttered, leaning back on the chair and tossing the tablet aside.

Suddenly, a strange sound made her sit up straight immediately. It was coming from the corridor behind the closed door of her room. With a sudden rush of fear bursting in her stomach, Bulma wondered if she had really heard what she thought she heard. A baby crying? She stood up carefully, paying close attention to the door. The sound was still there, distant but recognizable.

A baby was crying somewhere in her ship.

What the hell? Bulma remained still and quiet, hoping to hear something that would prove her wrong, or at least, she wanted to tell if someone else was hearing that blood-chilling sound as well. She cautiously pressed her ear against the door, and when silence was the only response to be found, she sighed with relief.

"Lack of sleep is really getting to you, Bulma" she told herself as she turned away from the door.

A second later, and beyond any doubt, the crying restarted. This time, Bulma was anything but cautious to approach the door: she threw herself towards it, pressing herself against it like her life depended on it. She felt like her stomach dropped when she heard the sound with complete clarity.

_A baby was crying somewhere on her ship. _

The distressed cries and yells made her way up to the back of her neck, piercing her brain like cold needles.

What _was_ that sound?

Like her body was being pushed by an unknown strength, Bulma's trembling hand reached for the knob. She grabbed it strongly and pushed the door open without giving it a thought. She stepped silently into the dark corridor, only to be met by utter quietness.

The scientist cleared her throat before speaking.

"Guys?"

Just a distant beep from one of the radars replied to her weak voice.

"G-Goku?" she called her childhood friend, unconsciously looking for his protection.

After she took the first three steps, Bulma saw something that made her gasp in shock: something in the end of the corridor was moving away from her, strangely crawling on the floor. She couldn't exactly tell what it was or how it looked, but part of it was lit by the dim glow of the radar screens. Her jaw dropped and she felt an urge to run away, but couldn't. She was terrified and paralyzed, her legs not responding. Holding on to the bravery she'd felt only moments ago, the woman managed to break free from the paralysis and decided to go and see what was going on with her own eyes. The fear inside of her now had been replaced with an irrational, yet dreadful desire to see what was really happening.

Whatever it was, it had made its way down the hall and into the living room area. Bulma followed silently, her bare feet not making a sound when touching the cold, hard floor. She wasn't thinking straight, all she could do was move forward, as if something or someone was driving her towards that uncanny vision.

Bulma made her way mechanically to the living room. What she saw there made her heart nearly stop. Her eyes widened in shock, her hands were still and a cold drop of sweat slid through her tense back.

_What the fuck is this?_

Two naked babies were sitting in the center of the room. She couldn't see their faces, but one of them, the boy, had short straight purple hair and a brown, furry tail, which moved from side to side slowly. The girl also had a tail, and Bulma was shocked to see that her straight hair was exactly the same blue, shiny color as hers.

Bulma didn't know what to do or think. She could only feel a deep sense of anxiety and angst take over her like she had stepped on a bathtub full of ice.

_Motherhood changes everything._

That's what Gia desperately said back on Earth…

Instinctively, she placed her hand on her heart and her gut clenched. She knew that she wouldn't have been able to speak, even if she tried. The knot on her chest was too tight and overwhelming.

She walked towards them, anguish growing inside of her with every step she took. They were silent, their faces hiding from her, sitting so close together like brother and sister. Bulma got closer and closer, moving like she was in some sort of unstoppable trance. When she finally got to stand next to them, Bulma knelt down. Reaching out both of her hands, she grabbed each baby by the shoulder to turn them around and see their faces.

She turned them around so easily it was like they were made of paper.

Bulma opened her mouth in a silent scream that stretched her jaw painfully. The two soft babies she had seen earlier were now two tiny rotting corpses, with darkened, morbid features and stiff limbs. Their small bones were sticking out their rotten flesh like they were grotesque broken dolls.

Bulma had never seen the decaying mask of death before. Not like this.

_Not on her own children._

Her heart-rending scream could be heard on every corner of the large ship.

"MY BABIES!"

The last thing she knew was that the lights were turned on and a pair of protective, strong arms were wrapped around her.

Goku was relieved to see Bulma regaining her color again, but her hands wouldn't stop trembling. She was sitting in his bed with him, the saiyan leaning back against the wall beside her. After he found her screaming, he managed to calm her down and take her out of that state of shock. When Bulma regained her speech, she had desperately told him everything she had seen like she was trying to make sense of it too. Maybe if she spoke about it, if she caged the experience in language, she'd be able to handle it...

"Feeling any better?" he asked.

"Yeah, better. It was all a very bad dream I guess" Bulma mumbled, "Though I swear, Goku, it was all so real…"

The saiyan's kind arm surrounded her shoulder and pulled her close to him, comfortingly. The unexpected move didn't bother Bulma at all, but the moment she felt Goku's beating heart against her ear, the memory of feeling Vegeta's body invaded her senses. There was something powerful and soothing about the saiyan nature that filled every inch of her being with a sense of security. She couldn't deny that after tasting Vegeta's strong saiyan body, the thought of being touched by a human male again seemed empty and dull.

"Vegeta told me this would happen" Bulma muttered numbly "He said there are places in the Universe that can make you see terrible things. Awful things that can even make you lose your mind." She gasped at the memory of the awful vision she'd had.

"Don't worry" Goku said warmly, wicking at her "You are strong, Bulma. It takes more than a few ugly ghosts to break down that powerful mind of yours."

"But you know what shocked me the most?" she said "I felt they were my children. I knew they were. The boy and the girl. That's what made it so awful."

"T-two?" Goku asked, scratching his head. Yup, he only recalled one half-saiyan coming from the future. If Bulma was actually seeing her future children… Was Trunks going to have a sister as well? Whoa, whoa, whoa. "Well that's interesting"

"What's interesting?"

"I uh… just um…"

Bulma interrupted him with another question, her voice sounding more resolved this time.

"Do you think I will ever become a mom?"

Goku answered with a sincere laugh "Bulma, if I became a father, believe me, anyone can. You'll be a great mom!"

She ran her fingers through her aquamarine hair and shook her head disbelievingly. She had never questioned motherhood before in her life. Sure, she thought it would come someday, but strangely enough she never considered having a baby with Yamcha as a serious option. Honestly, she had been too selfish and childish to even consider having a baby with anyone.

Was something changing inside of her?

"Gia was so desperate to get her dead son back, it was heartbreaking… " she mumbled. Bulma had told the whole truth to Goku earlier: she was really on a "rescue mission" that a high ranked woman from the United Nations had "unofficially" requested her. Well, Bulma was basically being blackmailed. If she didn't go and get that ghost back, Gia would make sure Darwin would be taken away from her. "What if something awful happens to my children too?" She had felt like a mother for seconds and it was devastating.

"Trust me on this one" Goku replied, reassuringly. "Everything will be fine. You'll be a great mother when the time comes."

Bulma smiled half-heartedly.

"Besides" the saiyan added "Your kids will have the most badass dad in the universe, Veg-" Goku stopped talking the second he realized he fucked up, and cold sweat pooled on his forehead. _Oh no,_ he thought naively, _let's just hope she didn't realize I was talking about Vegeta._

"WHAT?!" Bulma yelled, approaching her friend menacingly. Goku blushed in response but could not articulate a word. If there was something that scared the life out of him, the mighty warrior of the universe, it was an angry woman. Actually, an angry Chi Chi or an angry Bulma to be exact.

"You were going to say that asshole's name!" Bulma's voice was so high pitched it hurt Goku's sensitive ears.

"Uh, n-no I wasn't!"

"OH MY GOD, you were! You were going to say Vegeta!" Bulma rose her hands just to emphasize how upset she was, and then placed them on her head as if trying to make sense of his friend's words.

Goku pressed his back against the wall and tried to make himself small, small like a tiny bunny who could run away from the raging blue haired girl that seemed to tower over him.

"Un-fucking-believable, Goku!" Bulma started walking in circles anxiously before stopping and addressing him once again, intensely "It was a one-time mistake! It meant nothing! And definitely, that beast _will not _be the father of my children!"

Goku swallowed hard: "OK. Please don't hurt me, Bulma"

She suddenly went silent and sighed deeply. "I'm sorry", she muttered. "I'm tired. I didn't mean to yell at you".

The saiyan nodded, relieved that she'd finally stopped talking in that high-pitched tone that paralyzed him.

"No wonder why she ends up with Vegeta" he thought "No one else is tough enough to put up with this girl."


	4. Fight me

After the terrifying vision she had that night, Bulma finally passed out in Goku's room, too scared to go back into the ship's dark corridors. The saiyan had gently placed her on his bed and tucked her in like a caring brother. He had known this girl for many years now… they had seen incredible things together, been to incredible places. If it hadn't been for her, Goku thought, the earth would've been destructed 50 times over; she didn't deserve to have such a hard time. If only she knew that in an alternative future she would invent a time machine that would also save the world this time. He smiled when he remembered how sweet and noble Trunks was. A great kid, raised only by her. Goku had to admit he was really happy that this time, on this dimension, Bulma would have the chance to raise her son with the man she loved.

He drifted off to sleep thinking about Gohan, how he wished he had spent more time with him when he was younger… And Chi-Chi. She hadn't been around them as much as he should.

Not even Goku's freakishly loud snores managed to wake Bulma during the night, exhaustion had recklessly taken over her slim body. The peace she felt was so great that she didn't expect to wake up to a violent, piercing crashing sound that startled her like a bucket of ice being thrown to her face.

Without a single muscle moving on his face, Vegeta kicked the door to Goku's room open. The thick metal door twisted with the power of the hit and crashed against the wall, finally collapsing against the floor.

"KAKAROT!" he roared fiercely as his white fangs shone murderously.

The prince stepped inside the room, completely ignoring Bulma's wide blue eyes that stared at him in confusion, still tangled in Goku's sheets.

Goku was lying on the pillows he had arranged on the floor by the bed, rubbing his eyes groggily and yawning as he sat up, barely disturbed by Vegeta's presence.

"Oh, hey Vegeta! What's up?" his friendly voice only seemed to annoy the prince to no ends.

The prince growled again as he grabbed Goku by the shirt and pulled him up to face him. His heavy breathing and the glow on his dark eyes reflected what Goku interpreted as a seriously pissed off state. Was it because Bulma slept in his room? Because if it was, then the whole argument was about to happen was totally worth it.

Vegeta didn't understand why he was so furious. The wild beating of his heart only seemed to pump more rage into his blood, tensing his muscles as if he were facing a deadly enemy, but there had been no apparent provocation.

Well…

For a second, Vegeta couldn't help to be honest with himself. When he had heard the woman shouting the night before, he couldn't stop himself: he had to go and see what was going on. Not out of concern for her, but out of curiosity. Had the ghosts that lingered in space already made their first horrifying appearance before Bulma? He expected to face those bastards again. Vegeta had seen them up close so many times when he served as Frieza's slave. Year after year he had gone on purges across the Universe, facing ravaging masses of ghosts that reminded him of all the creatures he had killed, animals, children, families…

They couldn't get to him.

He felt no remorse. Ghosts couldn't haunt him, hurt him, suck away his sanity, taint his soul no matter how horrible their mask of pain and fire was. Lack of remorse and attachments made him strong, and he was proud of it.

Now, the woman, she was different. She had potential, but she was still weak when it came to what humans called love and compassion. When he saw Kakarot -damn him- comforting her and hugging her out the state of shock she was in, he was disgusted. Bulma had to face her demons and build an armor for her pitiful soul as well, all by herself. She needed to be left alone for once, not protected and fucking comforted!

And if anyone was to protect her, it should be him the one to do so.

Vegeta shook his head to push away that last thought.

Goku didn't see Vegeta approaching and the prince was glad he didn't. Hiding in the shadows like a silent wild cat, he saw them go into Kakarot's room. A strange feeling of possessiveness invaded him and angered him so deeply that he felt like killing the nearest organism he could find. Supressing his feelings once again, Vegeta concluded that he wouldn't care what Bulma did or didn't do. Screw her. He returned to his room and tried to go back to sleep, but the knot on his chest wouldn't leave him.

_What is wrong with me?_

Getting back up, he approached Kakarot's room, not sure of what he wanted to do. To blast both of them would be a tempting idea, but the thought of a universe without them, well… it seemed very _boring_.

He stopped dead when he heard Bulma's high pitched voice squeaking in a way he had heard too many times. Was the woman mad? Good, he thought. He enjoyed that.

The saiyan approached the door just to hear what she was blabbing about when he heard it.

"It was a one-time mistake!" she spat, "It meant nothing!"

It was obvious that she was talking about their latest… "encounter". He had enjoyed it, of course. He sought for it, but after waking up next to her, he didn't know what to do. It was the first time he fucked someone who had a name. If that woman was getting any romantic ideas about him, though, he'd make sure to crash them as soon as he could.

Then, the following words were said with such anger and strength that they only had to be viscerally true:

"And definitely, that beast _will not _be the father of my children!"

Fair enough, Vegeta told himself, as a hard shell of coolness built around his dark heart once again. Maybe he underestimated the woman… it seemed she hadn't actually _got_ any ideas that needed to be crashed.

Fair enough.

He returned to his room. The knot was now replaced by raw, boiling rage, but he held it back into silence. He needed sleep and wouldn't waste another second thinking about that demented girl.

When he woke up, the knot was there again.

"Fight me" Vegeta said to Goku with a rough voice, pulling him closer. The violent spark in Vegeta's body attitude made Goku smile knowingly. It was always a good time for a good fight.

"Well, bring it on", Goku replied with a challenging expression on his formerly gentle face.

Bulma's offended tone interrupted the scene:

"Vegeta!" she cried, pointing towards the smashed door on the floor, "how many times have I told you not to do that? You'll end up destroying my ship and my house!"

The saiyan glared back at her coldly.

"Silence, bitch!"

"What did you call me?" she asked, daring him to say that word once again.

"I said silence, _bitch_". His eyes almost didn't leave Goku's as he spoke.

She frowned deeply. Vegeta was secretly waiting for an insult or one of her annoying squeals, but much to his surprise, there was nothing. Flattening her messy hair with one hand, she got down of the bed and then left the room with a furious groan which Vegeta purposefully ignored.

"Let's go then", he muttered, letting go of Goku's shirt.

Blinding blasts crossed the training room where the two saiyans fought with such speed that they could barely be seen. Piccolo and Krilin watched approvingly at the overwhelming display of strength before them. Seeing Goku and Vegeta fight was a completely breathtaking spectacle, especially for the human and the namekian. Their highly trained eyes could follow the saiyans' every move.

"I bet Goku's is going to catch that blow right in front of his face" Krilin said amused, touching Piccolo with his elbow.

Just like that, Vegeta's strong fist was stopped by Goku's hand a moment before it touched the younger saiyan's nose.

Piccolo grinned and nodded. "Good insight".

The short human frowned after he heard Piccolo's voice. "Any news on what's going on in Namek?" he asked, without taking his eyes from the battle.

"Yes. I received a news a few hours ago."

"And?"

Piccolo's expression darkened and a shadow of distress seemed to cast on his serious eyes.

"They said the planet is under the attack of ghosts." He focused his glance on the two fighting saiyans, who were absorbed by the thrill of surpassing their rival. "Thousands of horrifying ghosts wandering around the planet. My people are going insane or committing suicide. They don't know what to do."

Krilin turned to Piccolo with surprise and fear. He sensed the pain on the namekian's voice and he knew this had to be serious.

Suddenly, the door of the training room burst open with a loud metallic sound. Bulma was there, wearing her armor. Her eyes were hidden by the reflection on the helmet's glass and her long hair fell on her shoulders, the color almost matching Darwin's blue irisdescent siren like scales. She was standing defiantly at the entrance, her hands fisted and placed on her hips.

Krilin turned to look at her in surprise. Piccolo barely acknowledged her arrival, still caught up in Goku's and Vegeta's fierce encounter.

"Bulma? What…?" the short man asked, obviously confused.

She tilted her head slightly to the side, carefully taking in all the information Darwin was frantically receiving. Goku's power was jaw-dropping now that he achieved the super saiyan state, which Vegeta still desperately sought. She felt something inside of her break at the thought of the prince being unable to reach the level of power his third class, sweet and boyish rival had achieved. Bulma knew that if Vegeta gained that amount of power he would surely be a public danger, but for some reason, she passionately wanted him to become the Legendary. Not only he deserved it, but he was _born_ with the right. He was the goddam prince of a mighty warrior race who had everything taken away from him: his planet, his family, his freedom… everything, yes, except for his pride. And then there was Goku, who had achieved it without even wanting… A small flash of anger shook her bones.

Wait, was she taking sides?

Maybe I am, she tought, her eyebrows curving into a scowl.

She had built a gravity room for him. She had built training robots for him. She was at his constant back and call, taking care of him when he got injured or fixing whatever it was that he destroyed. She welcomed him into her home, no questions asked. She listened to him whenever he wanted to talk to her, not expecting anything in return. She trusted him. _She slept with him_.

And yet he still treated her like shit.

There was something very alive inside of her, a strong pulse that drove her to be by his side. Bulma's hand slowly rose towards her chest, touching the soft surface of the armor that protected her racing heart.

She loved him, even though he didn't deserve her.

Bulma was a smart, strong, independent person. She knew that. She knew she was a genius – and made sure everyone else knew that too – and yet, she had feelings for someone who couldn't care less about her. Was she insane?

Yes. She was insane and reckless. She wouldn't settle for anyone less than extraordinary, and Vegeta was that and more.

However, she decided she didn't need him. She didn't even know if fighting for him, for his dark and almost non-existent heart was worth it. Probably not, Bulma thought while her throat tightened. _Certainly not_. She usually loved a challenge, but this was too much for her. There was too much at stake and there was no way she would be giving her life and her dignity away to an evil jerk who would only step on it with his selfish ways.

The vision of her children appeared abruptly and painfully on her mind, how they had their distinctive saiyan tales waving at her so clearly. _That beast would not be the father of her children_, she told herself firmly. Bulma was sure Vegeta would be a terrible father if he was even involved in the raising of a child. No one had ever loved him, how could he even know how to love?

A cold and sharp electric shock flowed from Darwin into her spine, pulling her shoulder blades together.

Bulma made up her mind: she would forget about him, shield her heart and find someone else, or not. Maybe she was meant to be alone and that was fine with her. If he ever wanted to leave, she wouldn't stop him. Even she might be the one to leave, just like she had left everything so many years ago on her first quest to find the dragon balls.

Piccolo could only see her pink mouth moving when she spoke without turning to him as she watched the fight, her eyes were still shielded by the helmet.

"I saw the message from Namek, Piccolo"

The namekian nodded in acknowledgement.

"We'll arrive to your planet soon" she continued "I will leave you there and head to the Borges moon. I will contact you when I get there."

Bulma could feel Piccolo inspecting her from the corner of his eye.

A strong ki blast bounced against a wall and hit Goku in the back, throwing him against the ground. Vegeta was still floating in air above him.

Goku removed the dust from his hair as he addressed his rival.

"You've gotten stronger" he said with a confident smile.

"Of course I have" Vegeta replied as if Goku's comment had deeply insulted him.

Bulma approached them. The confused and messy girl that had left Goku's room only a few hours earlier was now replaced by a powerful aquamarine goddess. Both saiyans turned to look at her, noticing her for the first time since she'd arrived.

At the sight of her, Vegeta scowled.

"What do you want?" he asked, notoriously annoyed that she came only to distract them.

Bulma stood confidently on the ground, arms crossed. She didn't reply, everyone remained still and silent waiting for what she had to say. Gracefully and quietly, she pushed herself away from the ground with a foot and to everyone's utter surprise, she levitated towards Vegeta. The saiyan's eyes widened for a second and she could see the muscles of his neck tensing.

He is surprised, she thought. Good.

She flew towards him, only to stop in front of him and face him. Their eyes locked in an intense moment that seemed to erase everyone else from the room.

"I'm beginning to lose my fucking patience" he menaced, urging her to speak and purposefully ignoring the fact that she was, well, flying. Just like him.

She was impassive. As carelessly as she would talk about the weather, the following words came out from her mouth:

"I just wanted to let you know that we'll arrive on Namek in 10 hours"

"Good. Get out of my sight now. Can't you see I'm busy?" His voice wasn't loud, but deeply aggressive.

Bulma grinned softly.

"Sure, Vegeta", she replied calmly. "I also wanted to tell you that I'm going to the Borges moon alone. You can stay in Namek with the others."

What? Was this woman demented? She wanted to go _alone? _

Apart from being dangerous… Was she rejecting him?

"Like I give a shit about that" he spat back. "Now fuck off".

Bulma nodded and an almost imperceptible grin appeared on her lips. She stretched her arm toward the exit of the training room, and Vegeta could feel a hot power building up on her armor. Blue sparks of electricity danced around her fingers. What was she doing now?

A loud, screeching sound of metal made everyone turn towards the exit. From the corridor and into the training room, the door from Goku's room –the one that Vegeta had previously crashed- appeared floating towards them. Only silence could be heard apart from the metallic sound of the door being squeezed through the entrance of the training room.

"Telekinesis?!" Krilin asked below his breath in awe.

Bulma's stretched hand softly directed it to float towards her, letting it levitate beside her, right in front of the saiyan prince's startled eyes.

"Oh, and Vegeta?" she said sweetly.

Bulma closed her hand violently and the door fell, crashing furiously against the ground.

The saiyan couldn't even wink.

She smiled.

"Fix the damn door."

* * *

Mumbling curses that would've made the toughest sailor blush, Vegeta slammed the door shut. It was still smashed, but at least it was placed back on the frame.

"I cannot believe that insignificant human made me do this" he hissed as he left Goku's room behind, replaying the previous moments on his mind. After seeing Kakarot's sickening display of affection towards Bulma, he had got mad for some reason -not jealousy, of course- so he wanted to take it out on Kakarot. There was nothing unusual about that. He liked fighting that third class clown, and Goku seemed excited about the idea as well. He had even struck that dumb, pathetic excuse of a saiyan down. But then, that demented wench had to make her grand entrance with the arrogance of a fucking queen and rub whatever her idiotic toy could do right in front of everyone's nose. Yeah, like he was impressed.

He remembered Bulma's hand closing tightly, then the door hitting the ground with a clash. Was it wrong if he was turned on by that? By that childish, ridiculous display of power…

A wave of heat struck his cheeks all of a sudden.

He remembered her long blue hair sticking to the wetness of her skin while she was riding him. The delicious, utter heat pooling between them as they moved rhythmically together. That sweet feeling of her nails buried on his-

The saiyan stopped dead when he realized he was thinking like a teenager.

"What wicked game is she playing with my mind?" he said to himself, leaning back on one of the corridor walls. The huge windows in front of him revealed the vastness of space calling out to him.

"Why the hell am I agreeing to all of this nonsense?"

* * *

"Yamcha?" Bulma's voice resounded on the walls of the second training room.

He turned to face her, sweat dripping down his neck and his tanned chest. He had been training for hours and Bulma could tell it was out of rage more than just sportsmanship. He had seen her and heard her that night. Yelling "I can't believe I fucked you" to Vegeta wasn't a discrete -or smart- move at all, and when she thought about it, she regretted how clumsy she'd been.

Yamcha was a good person, she knew that. Maybe throughout the years their complicated relationship had cooled down, but that was supposed to happen with couples, right? They were so young when they met... When he told her he had kissed another woman, Bulma was secretly relieved that something had put an end to it, really. Not that she'd ever admit to that. Yamcha, however, seemed genuinely sorry. He said he'd done it out of jealousy and stupidity… ever since that saiyan jerk was living with her, he could't stand all the attention she was giving to him. The recent events only seemed to confirm Yamcha's theory. Vegeta and Bulma had something going on. Whatever it was, it made him sick to the stomach.

He turned around to face her, his shoulders tightening at the sound of her voice. The look of disgust on his face made Bulma shiver.

"Oh hi, Bulma. Glad you remembered I exist" he said sarcastically, looking away.

Bulma's expression softened as she approached him.

"I'm sorry you had to see that", she mumbled.

"Oh well. You're a grown woman. You're a grown, _single_ woman, that is. Whoever you chose to… whatever, is none of my business"

"I-"

Yamcha interrupted her abruptly. His tone suddenly changed into contained desperation.

"I care about you, you know. We've known each other since we were kids! I thought we were… family."

Bulma covered her lips with her fingers. She wanted to say something, not sure of what, exactly. Should she apologize? No. He was right. She was single. But she felt in debt to him. They had been together since the start of this whole adventure. Her first love. So many memories and baggage… and laughter. Her thoughts suddenly switched to Vegeta. Could she ever have a real relationship with him? Could she ever laugh with him?

It had only been a one night stand. It meant nothing, in her own words. But why in the world was she thinking about a relationship with Vegeta? He would probably leave someday soon, there was no reason for him to stay on Earth, that "pathetic mud ball" as he called it. Honestly, he was an evil, evil creature who had no feelings but anger and hatred… a bastard soldier, a damaged monster who would surely grab her heart and squeeze it like a cherry. Their night together had been nothing more than a moment of lust and weakness. S_o much lust and so much weakness_, she thought as her heart rushed. No. Whatever her feelings were, she'd bury them under the thickest carpet money could buy.

With those thoughts in mind, Bulma's lips curved into a shy smile. Yamcha could see her eyes were filled with tears.

She knew this trip was changing her. Darwin, Vegeta, the babies, the visions, the ghosts. Looking at Yamcha made her heart grow warm, not because she was still in love with him, but because he represented the last crumbling piece of normality and childhood she had. It was painfully slipping from her fingers, innocence.

"A-are you crying?" Yamcha asked nervously, losing all the seriousness he'd gathered to face her.

Bulma swept away her crystalline tears with a finger.

"I know you feel betrayed, Yamcha" she said, struggling for her voice to come out firmly. She knew that Vegeta had been responsible for Yamcha's death in the hands of a filthy saibaman… but that was so long ago to her. Even though she had seen the whole devastating scene through a screen, she couldn't remember clearly what she felt at that time. After everything she'd been through in Namek, after seeing Frieza, after taking Vegeta with her, her previous life just felt blurry and somewhat distant.

"Watch some TV with me" Bulma finally mumbled, her voice barely audible.

Yamcha's puzzled expression was now evident.

"Huh?"

"Let's watch some TV at the control room" she said, "I downloaded tons of series before taking off. We still have a few hours before getting to Namek. It'll be like the old times". Her eyes were still shiny with tears, but her face had suddenly lit up.

Still deeply confused, Yamcha agreed. He couldn't stand to see Bulma cry, not even now, when he did, as she had accurately stated, feel betrayed.

Leaning back on the chairs in the control room, Bulma stretched her legs and placed her feet on the panel while holding a cold beer on her hand. Yamcha smiled at her as she grabbed some chips from the bag on his lap.

They were laughing. Yes. Maybe due to the beers they'd had or due to the company of an old friend. She pointed to the screen at one of the scenes of the series they were watching. A sitcom had been the perfect choice, Bulma thought.

"That is so funny" she said, chuckling "That guy cannot talk to girls, I mean, he can't even talk if the girls are in the same room. Just like you when we met, remember?"

Yamcha rolled his eyes "Yeah, but you came and saved me from my…"

"Selective mutism", Bulma finished, still focusing on the screen on the TV.

"But the guys on the show are a bunch of geeks" Yamcha stated, taking another sip from the beer can he was holding.

"You're not a geek" she replied sweetly.

"Oh, I know. You, on the other hand…" he raised an eyebrow playfully.

"I am not" she replied, falsely offended. "I am too sexy and gorgeous to be a nerd", she stated, fluffing her intensely blue hair.

Yamcha's half smiled showed that he agreed, but it was swiftly brushed away by the memory of his ex getting together with that… monster.

The frown on his face warned Bulma of his mood change, so she rapidly extended her hand and grabbed his forearm, getting his full attention.

"You're still my desert wolf" she whispered kindly, maybe too impulsively due to the alcohol flowing in her blood.

He smiled again.

"Bulma" he said tiredly, but without a hint of anger on his tone "you just changed your desert wolf for a space monkey."

* * *

Bulma was now alone on the control room. Yamcha had left a while ago and she watched the radars with the corner of her eye, then shifting her attention to the TV. For a moment, she felt somewhat numb as she ate the leftovers from earlier, but it didn't bother her. So many strong emotions had taken over her the last few days that she was grateful to have a moment of comfortable numbness.

"A bubble bath" she mumbled, "and a walk on the beach, and sunshine…". She closed her eyes and pictured the warm sun that shone over Kame house kissing her skin. She was dizzy, but it felt good.

"A manicure…"

A stranger hand suddenly slipped into the bag of chips Bulma was dearly holding, startling her out of her reverie.

"Oh, it's you" Bulma said to Goku, her eyes still half closed.

"Who did you expect?" he replied smiling, his mouth filled with the tiny pieces of chips that were left in the bag.

She shrugged. "No one, I guess"

"Hey, guess what Vegeta did", Goku's face lit up with a mischievous grin as he remembered what drove him to talk to her in the first place.

She turned to him, showing unsual interest in Goku's words.

"He fixed my door", the saiyan continued, his mouth still full. "I mean, it's still smashed and it looks like crap, but I least I can close it. Kind of."

A shy, involuntary smile appeared on Bulma's lips. She reached her hand into her pocket and retrieved a small capsule, playing with it between her fingers. Her eyes were intensely focused on it as she spoke:

"Good." The capsule slipped to her palm where she grabbed it tightly "Someone has to teach that monkey some manners"

"What's that capsule for?" Goku's eyes widened with curiosity. "OH MY GOD, ARE YOU GOING TO LOCK VEGETA INSIDE OF THAT?"

Bulma laughed, putting the capsule back in her pocket.

"No, you fool! But you'd better not give me such tempting ideas" she stood up and stretched her arms and shoulders, her body was slim and determined as she moved, warming up her muscles. "It's for the ghosts. I've designed a method to catch them in these capsules."

"So you really _are_ going alone" Goku mumbled, still amazed by her choice "Even after what you saw that night?"

"Yes" Bulma's voice was strong, yet soft "Specially after that. I have to face this on my own, not only for me, but for those babies I saw. I think that somehow Gia's desperation for her dead son got to me, like it's crawled inside of my marrow" she paused, shaking her head and looking back at her childhood friend "You must think I'm crazy."

"I do" he replied, as he gently placed one of his hands on her shoulder. "But it's good, you know? Vegeta is pissed, though."

"For a change" she muttered, raising an eyebrow.

Why was he mad, this time? Probably not because she was breaking their agreement, certainly not out of concern for her… she was sure it was because he hated the idea of being stuck with the "annoying creeps" she calls friends on the very same planet where he failed to defeat Frieza. He was too proud to tell her he'd rather go with her, though. The thought of this made Bulma's head hurt. Why did everything have to be so complicated with him?

Jeez, didn't that guy know how to have any fun? It seemed the only things he enjoyed in life was food, fighting and…

An idea -that seemed brilliant to the young scientist's eyes- popped in her mind.

"Where are you going?" Goku asked as she walked swiftly towards the exit.

She turned around and winked an eye to her friend, resting her hand on the doorframe.

"I'll give him a real reason to be mad about".

* * *

Vegeta's hand slid into the white glove as he finished putting on his characteristic saiyan battle armor, glancing at one of the screens in his room that showed how Namek was getting closer and closer. He dreaded the idea of going back to a planet drenched in the foul smell of his own death and even worse, his ever resounding failure.

The disgusting face of Frieza came to his mind: those thin, purple, cruel lips laughing, that arrogant long tail sliding viciously up his legs when he was just a boy.

A shiver shook his strong spine and his usually smooth skin contracted to the thought of the creature who took everything away from him.

_Why did I agree to even come on this trip?_

There was certain, still truth brushing his lips, one that he wouldn't dare to articulate: every drop of honor that was left on his regal body told him that he owed Bulma, big time.

Bulma.

Fuck, she was approaching.

He turned around to face her as she appeared from the corridor, all armored up again. A mask of seriousness froze his face even though now it was hard to look at her without picturing her naked. For a warrior of such control and discipline, this was painfully tough to accept.

"What are you doing here, human?" he asked, visibly annoyed.

She smiled as she took off her helmet and let her blue hair cascade gracefully down her back, in a way that only a woman used to being wanted could pull off.

"Well, _saiyan"_ she replied, still approaching him, as she gathered all the poise she could find on her breathing fibers, ignoring the fact that the mere sight of him made her knees weak. "I wanted to thank you for fixing the door."

He grunted and took a step back away from her.

"I only did it to avoid your irritating squeals. They make me want to stick my head out into space and die."

She let out a small chuckle.

"Drama queen", she replied, "I'm not that bad".

"If you're only here to disturb me" Vegeta growled back, still walking away "I suggest you leave now. I'm warning you"

When Vegeta's back hit the wall, she cornered him until their hips almost touched. Bulma grabbed the saiyan's armor chest plates by the sides and pulled him closer, only making him frown deeper.

"Fight me", she said, emulating the way Vegeta had spoken to Goku that morning.

He grinned. Whatever game she was playing, she would not get away with it.

"I thought you wanted to go on your little adventure alone"

"I do"

"Then you don't need me. Ask Kakarot to play your pathetic game with you."

Bulma's eyes narrowed and a mischievous spark lit her enticing smile.

"I don't want Kakarot."

Vegeta swallowed hard. Bulma's mouth was getting dangerously close to his neck, and the hot air against his skin disarmed him entirely.

Her voice struck him again, as gentle as petals blowing in the wind.

"I want the best"

Bulma's words hit a fiber on his heart he didn't even know he owned. Whatever it was, it echoed through his nerves, warming up every cell in his body.

"I want _you_" she whispered, knowing that she'd already won this battle.

Vegeta squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his teeth, hating himself for feeling such devastating weakness. When he opened his eyes again, two deep blue orbs were staring back at him, like there was an ocean behind them.

"Fine!" he hissed ferociously, grabbing her forearm and dragging her to one of the training rooms.

Food, sex and fighting. Those were the things she had seen him enjoy, and the time was perfect for an intense session of good bye battling.

.

They had trained for hours. This time, Bulma wouldn't curl up on the ground and beg him to stop. She had grown into an interesting rival, and Vegeta was thrilled at the idea. It somehow proved his own worth: after all, he was the one who had awoken the power on Darwin, that first time where the giant electric blast came from Bulma's very burning core. Now she could fly, she could run, she could dodge, she could jump. She could attack back, she could repel ki blasts. The electric shocks that emerged from her nerves and into Darwin's wire network were savagely damaging and precise, and the resistance of that material was breathtaking.

Vegeta wasn't nice. He wasn't gentle. He was the fiercest predator on the planet, and he would hunt her down just like he would have with anyone who dared to challenge him. He didn't want to kill her, but he wanted to make sure she'd have a taste of the real danger she might face all by herself on space. Bulma was exhausted, torn, but she didn't back down at any moment.

_She wanted to be unbreakable. A heroine._

When the last ki blast hit her, she crashed violently against a wall, then sliding to the ground - just like the last time- but now, everything was different. She felt drained but reckless. Coughing blood, shaking out the dust from her lips with a broken finger, she rose before him.

"Haven't you had enough?" he yelled, knowing that she wouldn't catch him off guard and knock him out now.

"Enough?" she laughed. "Seriously, is that all you got?".

Her voice weakened as she opened her palm and a blue ball of electricity gathered over it, revolving and bubbling over itself as it grew stronger. She wouldn't leave him without showing herself she was able to do this on her own. For some reason, wether it was pride or even survival instinct, she needed to show Vegeta she was strong, strong enough to take someone like him.

Vegeta followed the trail of blood flowing from the corner of her lip down to her exposed neck. She clearly wasn't in good shape any more.

"Pathetic little bitch", he yelled. "Do you want to die?"

Bulma tried to move but her legs trembled violently. Flashes of her childhood appeared on her mind, reminding her that the strength within her still burned. But she was just a girl, she thought for a second, a weak, human, smart little girl.

She could adapt, she was clever and agile, but she wasn't a fighter.

God, what was she thinking? _Fighting against Vegeta_? He was overwhelmingly powerful, yet there she was, broken and facing him.

_The very essence of instinct is that it's followed independently of reason._

It was Charles Darwin speaking to her again, his wise voice melting into a blurry, sweet caress.

Instinct. It was instinct that drove her towards Vegeta, wether it was to fight him or to fuck him.

Bulma stretched one of her hands weakly towards him, the electricity on the other hand fading away by exhaustion. The saiyan slowly approached her, taking in her every move. She was too weak to fight… finally, he thought, she'd given up. Even though he knew that, his silent moves were careful. He wouldn't be humiliated again by this feisty wench.

He took her hand gently to help her move.

Bulma didn't look into his eyes when her free hand rose towards the saiyan's neck, crackling energy bulging between her fingers, and grabbed it like her life depended on it, releasing a strong power discharge that made Vegeta scream in pain.

Convulsing violently and nearly chocking, the saiyan's muscles tensed out of instinct. His right hand fisted, and his strong arm powerfully punched Bulma's chest, shoving the air out of her lungs. He felt her petite body stiffen after his strike and the electricity abruptly fading, a deep gasp escaping her lips and finally, her whole self collapsing bonelessly to the ground.

_She is ready, _Vegeta thought, still shaking and panting. Not even the years he had spent hiding his feelings managed to disguise the complete, primal amazement that escaped through his every pore.


	5. Cookies and vodka

Hi, readers! I'm trying to make the chapters longer, so that's why this one took a bit longer to come out. I really hope you enjoy it. Reviews, of course, are almost welcome... I've actually been getting lots of ideas from them ;) Please tell me what you think.

* * *

A thick veil of steam covered Bulma's eyes as her vision went blurry. Her body, now submerged in a severe state of shock, spasmed her conscience out of her brain. A feeling of detachment pulled her awareness out of her bones and muscles, and suddenly, she could see everything as a mere witness, like sitting in an audience of a savage play. She saw herself thrown in the ground like a dead animal on a highway, covered in her resistant armor. She saw blood flowing from her open mouth, the helmet covering her closed eyes. Vegeta was still frozen in the same defensive stance he'd taken when he punched her, a few strings of her blue electricity bubbling on his skin.

Bulma had played the last card she had. She had let Vegeta see her weakness, smell her blood like a hungry feline. He had approached her, thinking she was weak, wanting to take her seemingly friendly, obviously unthreatening stretched hand. He didn't expect Bulma to have the audacity, the complete stupidity and strength to dare do that to him: to take his hand and in a bold, dirty move, try to strangle him or electrocute him, whatever came first. He punched her back out of mere reflex, driven by his violent saiyan nature. The shocks of electricity had been harder, more powerful than ever, and he recognized that Bulma's mind and body and armor -it was getting harder to tell how separate they were- were getting stronger.

He knew she was ready now. Even though he acknowledged how strong she had become, hurting her like he did -even after she made that sleazy, vile, dangerous move- made his stomach drop with a choking feeling that crawled up his throat and rested there painfully. Was that guilt?

He would not feel guilt. Guilt was weakness. The woman was an equal. He had only fought her as such.

Before leaving her trembling on the training room, Vegeta gathered control of his shaking body to remove Bulma's helmet.

"Little bitch" he mumbled in disdain as he tossed the helmet aside, revealing her blue hair and porcelain skin, stained in blood. Her colors were so vivid, he thought. It impressed him: skin so perfectly white, hair so intensely blue, blood so enticingly red…

Bulma's eyes opened lazily, halfway showing her darkened blue orbs.

"Bulma" he said neutrally, seeking for any reaction.

She felt drunk and in pain, not understanding the blurry shadows she saw or the distant sounds that tried to reach her. Vegeta's sensitive ears caught something: she was muttering something below her breath. He could tell she was barely conscious, and the thought of her blabbing even when she was as wrecked as she was now, made him grin lightly. She would never shut up.

"… be strong for them, they needed me I saw…"

Her voice flowed weakly, but there it was.

What the fuck was she talking about?

Suddenly it hit him. The ghosts. He never knew what she saw that night. Now that her subconscious was unleashed, she was talking about the awful vision that had infected her mind like a virus. Yes, Vegeta knew how that worked, hundreds of Frieza's soldiers had lost their sanity in the exact same way.

Taking her face between his hands, Vegeta strongly asked with more passion than he originally intended:

"Bulma! What did you see that night?!"

Her eyes rolled back a little and their gazes suddenly met, as her hand grabbed his wrist and squeezed it with strength that couldn't possible belong in that delicate body. The saiyan's eyes widened for a second at her painful grasp and saw how her eyes came back to life with a breathtaking glow. Her mouth barely moved when she spoke.

"I saw…"

The look on her eyes was so piercing that Vegeta couldn't help but stare intensely at them, letting them absorb him with their truth.

"What?" he questioned softly, becoming unstoppably hypnotized by the strange glow in Bulma's glance. Her fingers buried in his skin but he didn't seem to notice, his mind filling with an indescribable blue numbness that invaded all his senses. Suddenly, all he could see was the depth of her eyes, a deep blue ocean of darkness where uncanny figures seemed to float.

A vision reached out to him, an indomitable truth that shook him to his very core, just like Bulma's electric shock did.

Two babies. Two babies with saiyan tails. Two baby saiyans? No, impossible. _Kakarot and I are the only saiyans left_. And their appearance was so… different. That hair color could not belong to a pure saiyan. Lavender and blue straight hair? Who, _what _were they? Hybrids? There's only Kakarot's son… impossible.

When he saw them again, the vision he had revealed what true horror was about. Nothing he had ever seen –not even the face of his victims, not even the face of his own death, not even the face of fucking Frieza- could compare to the tragedy that drowned him.

Two dead faceless babies, two tiny rotten corpses.

Vegeta felt something piercing through his heart like a poisoned arrow, spider webbing along his every fiber, spreading pain and angst.

They were his children.

_Their_ children.

Vegeta let go of Bulma like she was covered in boiling oil, like the mere touch of her skin was burning him. He stood there, his heart racing and his mind desperately trying to understand what had been revealed to him. Suddenly, the hard way the ship landed on Namek's surface shook him out of his trance, turning his head towards the radar. They had arrived. Still sort of paralyzed by shock, Vegeta covered his forehead with a hand to make sure he wasn't dreaming. He saw the woman lying before him, now completely unconscious, then turned to the glass wall behind him, that revealed the green vastness of Namek.

Had he just seen his unborn children on Bulma's eyes?

Impossible.

If he stayed with her, he would be lost. He knew that. The feelings that had been cracking the coldness of his heart were nothing but a threat to his strength. A weak spot, a wound that would only leave him vulnerable before the eyes of his enemies. The respect, the desire… the _fondness_ he felt for the woman had to stop at once. He decided Bulma was right. She had to go alone. He had to leave her to protect himself from her dangerous magnetism.

* * *

It was night time again. She was alone, completely alone on the large ship on her way to an unknown moon. Every room was quiet, only the sound of the beeping radars could be heard. The beautiful scientist was resting silently on her bed. Darwin was being reconstructed, the coffee machine was bubbling and her hands danced carelessly over the soft red silken pajamas -a tiny short and a tank top- that hugged her body. Her friends had landed on Namek when she was still barely awake. All she remembered after fighting Vegeta was waking up on the infirmary after swallowing a Senzu bean he gave her. As life and power returned to her wounded limbs, she remembered seeing a thick burn mark on his neck that made her gasp. Had _she_ done that to him? How?

"W-what happened to your neck" she had asked shyly, fearing to hear the answer she expected.

"Nothing", he had answered with a grunt, avoiding to look at her.

Bulma was comfortably lying down, but rose to support her weight on her elbows after his answer. He had immediately turned to her when he saw her sitting up, and in an unprecedented gesture, Vegeta had gently placed his hands on her shoulders and spoken to her in a soft, unthreatening voice:

"Go back to bed. Get some rest."

Bulma blinked incredulously, she almost dared to think that she'd sensed concern in his tone. Vegeta? Showing genuine concern for someone? That rare moment was abruptly lost when hey heard someone approaching down the hallway -Vegeta already knew it was Goku- and the saiyan prince immediately recovered his usual posture, taking his hands away from her shoulders and hardening his features.

Goku had come to get him. It was time to leave.

Now, she was totally alone, on her way to a moon infested with ghosts, on a silent ship where she'd already _been _attacked by the fearful visions they used as weapons. She tried to think about the choice she had made. Was it right to be going all by herself? She knew her friends were needed on Namek… and she knew a mother back on Earth needed her son back. She felt responsible for the commitment she'd made to Gia on a personal level, and Bulma hoped that somehow this rescue mission would come to prove her own strength. But to whom? Who did she need to prove her strength to?

Her family, her friends. Herself.

Vegeta. She couldn't deny she wanted to make him proud.

Her eyes wandered over the ceiling as she thought everything over and over. She loved Vegeta, which was a stupid thing to do for a super genius as herself. Love had nothing to do with logic, she knew that, but it was still hard to accept it. All the times her mother had told her that Vegeta was her perfect match -just as stubborn and fiery as herself- she'd discarded it completely. However something inside of her knew that there was wisdom in those words. Deep, ageless, certain wisdom that now resounded in her head like an implacable bell. Bulma knew there were feelings between them. Strong feelings. The hours of unbelievable sex they had together had spoken louder than words.

"I need a distraction" she mumbled angrily to herself, covering her face with a pillow "or I'll go crazy with my head rambling like this"

Grabbing the pillow and pushing it against her face, she tossed and turned as she kicked her legs with frustration.

"Ugh, just get out of my head you jerk!" Bulma squealed in a high pitched voice that would've probably bothered her saiyan friends. Rolling over to lie on her stomach, she rose her head from the pillow and realized how hungry she was.

Food could be a nice distraction, and she certainly needed it.

She remembered hiding a box of her mother's homemade cookies in one of the kitchen drawers – she had to, considering her friends' legendary appetite- and the idea of those sweet, rich cookies in her mouth lit up her face light sunshine. Thats exactly what she needed. As she got down from the bed, the sudden awareness of being alone, as alone as someone could be on space, felt heavy on her shoulders. The cookies were on top of a cabinet in the kitchen, and the thought of having to go all the way there by herself made her shiver inexplicably. Maybe the memory of the vision she had was too fresh, however she knew that probably more horrifying sights awaited her in the Borges moon. Overcoming fears, wasn't this what this trip was all about? Whatever might happen, she thought, she was still a super genius. A currently lonely, unprotected genius, but a genius still... She could find her way around anything that got in her way. So with that in mind, she gathered her newlyfound strength and slid down the bed until her bare feet touched the ground. Quick as a gazelle, Bulma sashayed towards her bedroom door and into the dim corridor. This time, she made sure to turn on the lights, only to reveal and empty but peaceful hallway. The kitchen at the end of he way was silent and clean, nothing unusual standing between her and the blissful sweetness of soft chocolate cookies.

Bulma giggled with smugness while she walked towards the kitchen. She had managed to hide the most delicious treat from the sight two hungry and overly perceptive saiyans for days, and now, the box of cookies would be all hers to enjoy alone. She would eat the whole box in front of the TV, get a manicure, and finally relax before she'd have to face the terrible things that awaited her. She promised herself not to think about the men in her life for tonight: no Yamcha, no Vegeta, no Goku, no Charles Darwin. Just her and her ship.

When she got to the kitchen, the first stop she made was in front of the fridge, thinking maybe she could get some cold milk to go with the snack. As she opened the door, a shiny, crystalline bottle of vodka greeted her with clarity.

"Well, well, well" Bulma said mischievously discarding the idea of getting milk, grabbing the vodka and admiring the transparent liquid against the kitchen light. "This girl wants to have some fun!"

She giggled again. "Seriously? Cookies and vodka, Bulma? Aren't you naughty!" she said to herself with amusement, while she placed the bottle on the counter and tiptoed to reach the top of the cabinet where she'd hidden the cookies. The smile of anticipation she wore was erased when she realized it was too high for her to reach.

"Oh, fuck" she mumbled with frustration as she stretched her petite body to reach the treasure that awaited her. Her arm was painfully extended and her muscles tensed as she tried to grasp the box, but her fingers weren't anywhere near the cookies. "Man, how did I put them there in the first place?". Then, she remembered than at the time she hid them, she was wearing Darwin, which meant she hand levitated and placed them far from her regular reach. However, due to her sparring with Vegeta, Darwin was still too damaged to be used.

"For fuck's sake" Bulma growled, trying to stretch her body as much as possible. Every muscle in her was burning. From the corner of her eye, Bulma inspected the dark living room beside the kitchen. She saw a bench in a corner that was the perfect hight. The problem? The living room was the same place were she'd seen those dead babies some nights ago. Even though she didn't accept it, she was still to scared to go in there. By herself. In the dark.

Everything in that room reminded her of what she'd seen, and this time she was completely alone on the large ship. Shaking those thought out of her head, Bulma decided that she wouldn't go in there. The cookies couldn't be that far from her reach, could they?

Bulma Briefs was a determined woman. If she decided that she would have the cookies, for the love of God, she would get them. Once again, she stood on the tip of her toes, reached out her hand and stretched her whole body, her powerful mind set in one goal. Cookies. If she was able to move things with her mind with Darwin on, maybe -she thought- she could do that all by herself.

The burning sensation was becoming intolerable but she would not back down. Her eyes narrowed, a drop of sweat ran down her forehead to the tip of her delicate nose. "I will get you, you motherfucker!" she hissed with rage as her fingers grazed the soft surface of the precious box. Even though it wasn't working, she was obsessed. Not even the painful cramp that was building up on the soles of her feet could stop her. She let out a high pitched moan in pain and anger as she pushed her body and mind to the limit.

Suddenly, the unbelievable happened.

Something or someone grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up securely but delicately.

Her hands grabbed the cookie box instinctively with unmeasured strength and she gasped loudly, shocked and terrified.

What the hell had just happened?

Bulma was still being held up, the cookie boxed tightly cradled against her chest and her body paralyzed. She felt the heat of the arms surrounding her vividly, but she was too confused to look down and see who or what it was.

Her agile mind came up with an answer quite quickly, but she didn't want to believe it just yet.

As she turned her glance down slowly, her eyes were greeted by a familiar -yet unexpected- vision.

Vegeta's black eyes were staring back at her with a frown while his strong, muscular arms were still holding her up against the cabinet.

Bulma opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of the water but not a sound came out. Vegeta's eyes narrowed slightly before he gently pulled her down until her feet touched the cold kitchen floor gracefully. She turned around to face him, the cookie box tightly trapped by her hand in front of her chest. The scientist's eyes were impossibly wide and bright, and her agitated breathing gave away the rush of emotions that invaded her. What was this? Had Vegeta come back from Namek? How? Goku was the only one who knew how to teleport.

Maybe he never really left…

No, no way. She knew he had left.

He was silent and serious, as always, but something about him was different. Bulma quite couldn't put her finger on it, but he looked… _better, _if that was even possible. His clothes were different. The last time she saw him, he was wearing his saiyan armor ready to land on Namek. Now, the man in front of her was dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans and a relaxed black buttoned up shirt with its sleeves rolled up. An earthling attire, she thought as she raised an eyebrow.

There was more.

His body looked different too. Stronger. His well defined muscles seemed to exude power, even through the fabric that covered them, and the energy that surrounded him was now overwhelming. Not intimidating any more, but protective. She instinctively placed her hands on his wider shoulders incredulously, like measuring them against the memory of how the were just hours ago, when she last saw him. He stood still, not tensing at her touch. Even though she was too absorbed in her observation to notice, Vegeta was calmly letting her explore him. Every inch of him.

Confidence, she thought as her eyes wandered over his body, not empty arrogance. Vegeta was filled with real, utter, delicious confidence. Bulma couldn't help the arousal that exploded inside of her in spite of the surprise and confusion. Her body was only reacting to the presence of the most desirable male she had ever seen.

Her eyes carefully slid up to his face. His expression was serious, but softer. The way he looked at her, with trust and patience, shocked her. Trust and patience were the last things she found on Vegeta when she thought of him. Why was he looking at her like that now?

What was it about him that was so different?

The pieces started falling into place on Bulma's mind. He looked more _mature_. That was it. At this realization, she noticed the butterflies savagely battering their wings in her belly, tickling her intensely. Just a natural reaction of my body, she thought, wanting to push away the heat she started feeling between her legs.

Was it really him or was it a ghost, playing with her sanity? Vegeta said that could happen.

She blinked her thoughts away and frowned at him. Without taking her eyes from his, she spoke boldly:

"I demand to know who you are!"

His warm body backed away from her, leaving a small space between them, the cookie box still touching them both. He cocked an eyebrow, apparently amused.

"Seriously?" he said with a grin.

"What's so funny?" Bulma asked, visibly annoyed.

"Do you not recognize me, woman?"

Bulma rolled her eyes. "Of course I do! At least, I recognize who you are trying to impersonate, you impostor! Now tell me, are you one of those psychotic ghosts?! Because if you are, prepare to be capsuled!" she threatened, as she reached into her pocket.

"Bulma, I am not a ghost" Vegeta replied calmly.

With her free hand, Bulma retrieved a capsule from her pocket and yielded it like a weapon. It was the same type of capsule she'd shown to Goku earlier - the one she designed to trap ghosts.

"Listen to me, whatever you are: Vegeta is on planet Namek, so don't think you can fool me" she signaled him from top to bottom with a nod and spoke with her characteristic cockiness

"Besides, ghost, you got it all wrong. Vegeta doesn't look like that! He hates to wear human clothes and he's smaller than you. Nice try though."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes and grunted.

"For your information" she continued "I am a goddam genius! I won't let a lousy ghost scare me".

That being said, she opened the ghost capturing capsule and threw it at him confidently.

The small capsule popped open and bounced against Vegeta's wide chest, jumping back into the floor in front of Bulma's startled blue eyes. Her stunned glance went from the tiny capsule lying on the floor back to Vegeta's face.

"Vegeta?" she mumbled in awe, putting her hands on his chest as the box of cookies fell to the ground. She felt his rhythmical heartbeat below his skin. "Is it really you?"

He nodded.

"What… how…" Bulma didn't know where to start "Why do you look different?! Why aren't you in Namek?!"

Vegeta knew these questions were about to come - along with many others - so he sighed as he tried to articulate an answer. He wasn't sure how to handle the information that he would eventually have to give away to her, so he made his best effort to restrain the desire of just telling her everything bluntly.

Bulma felt Vegeta's hand grazing her cheek gently - something he had never done before - but he did it in such a natural, soothing way that Bulma couldn't help to close her eyes. It was like he was used to doing it, like it was _normal_ for him to show her affection. She cleared her throat, unable to think straight, cursing herself for being so weak. She still hadn't got any answers from him, yet there she was, feeling her knees trembling at the unexpected display of tenderness. Snapping out of the moment, Bulma struggled to sound offended as she pulled away from his touch, grabbing his hand and pushing back into his chest.

"What the hell are you doing?"

The saiyan frowned, visibly frustrated. He was obviously having a hard time explaining himself or his actions. His eyes wandered to the floor where he saw the discarded box of cookies. Bulma followed Vegeta's glance down to the floor, and what she saw confirmed that something was really wrong. It was definitely not the same saiyan she had left a few hours ago on Namek. He was wearing a pair of black Converse sneakers.

What the fuck?

"Let's stick to your original plan" he finally said, taking Bulma for surprise.

"What?"

"Cookies and vodka, woman. Things will be easier to explain with a full stomach, disregarding how disgusting I find the combination to be" his tone turned to something Bulma knew quite well: that characteristic i'm-too-elite-for-you tone that got her on her nerves, but had came to appreciate with time. This time, it made her feel safe. It seems it really was him after all.

"I… uh, I wasn't…"

"I thought you wanted to have _fun" _ he continued, emulating the way she spoke earlier "I thought you were _naughty_, Bulma Briefs". He was obviously teasing her. "But seriously, woman, cookies and vodka? Classy!"

Bulma blushed intensely when she realized he had been watching her for who knows how long. So typical!

"You freak! You were watching me?!" she yelled, making Vegeta squeeze his eyes shut.

"Would you please stop squealing like that?"

"Only if you answer what I've been asking you!"

"Fine" he replied seriously, "I wasn't joking about the vodka and cookies though. Bring them to your room and we'll talk"

Vegeta turned on his heel, walking towards her bedroom and Bulma was left alone and perplex. She blinked, wondering if what had just happened was real. Her foot touched the cookie box on the floor. Knowing that shed had no other choice, she grabbed it along with the bottle as she brushed a strand of blue hair from her face and sighed.

"I'm going, your royal jerkiness!"


	6. The dawn of the saiyans

Hi readers! I know you must be confused since I posted this chapter a while ago and now it's back up. It's just that I realized the first version of it was a mess, so I had to take it down. HOWEVER, with the awesome help of **springandbysummerfall **all the pieces fell into their right place.

PS: Check out **springandbysummerfall's **work if you can. You can thank me later ;)

Enjoy!

* * *

"So…" Bulma said as she poured some vodka into Vegeta's glass, the same kind of tall glass she had intended to use for milk. He looked back at her with a questioning glance when he saw how much she was serving, but didn't speak up about it. The alcohol might even help to make things go smoothly.

"I have a whole bunch of questions, bud. Where do we start?"

Vegeta leaned back on the cushions piled against the bed's headboard and stretched his arms to make himself comfortable, a move that definitely made Bulma gasp; he seemed so in his element around her. She was sitting in front of him, legs crossed, studying him carefully. The thought of him being so relaxed was making her uncomfortable!

"Wherever," he answered bluntly.

She had to admit it: she knew it was Vegeta, it was obvious. She recognized everything about him, including certain unique things she'd never seen or felt off anyone. His body temperature, for instance, was definitely extraterrestrial: it was higher than any human's, maybe due to his extremely high metabolism. And the battle scars… she had never dared to ask him anything about them, but she had seen them so many times now, especially while taking care of him when he got injured, that she'd started to recognize some of them. Even though she had spent a great part of her life surrounded by fighters -hell, even Yamcha had a huge scar across his face- the marks on the saiyan's body had shocked seemed so deep and they were so many that the mere thought of where he had got them made her shiver. They told the story of torture and war he had gone through since he was just a little boy; she knew those were the marks of slavery. Now she could see one barely showing on the base of his neck and her gut clenched. An unsettling thought occurred to her... her mind flashed back to Vegeta a few hours ago standing right in front of her in the infirmary with a red burn mark on his neck… was it the same scar?

"Very well," she replied, focusing back on her glass before gulping the entire shot of vodka at once. She heard him let out a small, amused chuckle at the gesture.

"What?" she asked defensively.

"Nothing" Vegeta replied, holding back a grin and giving her that strange look again. That look filled with… trust and patience.

Bulma shifted her weight uncomfortably. From all the things that were definitely different with him - even the fact that he wasn't on Namek- what definitely disturbed her the most was that glance. She might even say there was affection in it.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.

"Like what?"

"Like that!" she replied, pointing her empty glass towards him. "Cut it out, Vegeta. It's seriously freaking me out."

The saiyan frowned and looked away, realizing that he couldn't avoid seeing her that way. How had he gotten so used to her? Something had changed, broken and molded back again inside of him permanently. He never thought that dealing with Bulma in this situation would be so hard for him; his whole body ached with desires and impulses that his mind struggled to restrain. Closing his eyes, he cleared his throat awkwardly, bringing the big, full glass to his lips.

"Now tell me," Bulma said, dropping the previous subject, figuring it was already a lost cause, "how come you're here with me and not on Namek? And why do you look…" she paused, pointing at him with her glass one more time, struggling to find an accurate word "d-different?"

Vegeta knew he would have to answer eventually, so what the hell. He quickly gulped the alcohol down and looked back at her, feeling the heat of the liquid burning his throat and chest reassuringly.

"Actually, I am on Namek" he said with gravity.

Bulma's eyes widened. She wondered if she should stop drinking as she analyzed the size of the glasses she had just filled again. However, the alcohol flowing in her blood was already making its warm way up to her brain, relaxing her every muscle and fading a great deal of her concerns away. Oh well, she thought, I've heard worse.

"You know" she said, giggling, "I am trying to keep an open mind. However, what you just said…" she took another shot of vodka before she continued speaking "is just not making any sense, my friend."

After taking in another shot as well, Vegeta put the glass aside on the nightstand noisily and addressed Bulma seriously.

"Listen, Bulma. What I am about to tell you is extremely important… "

"Just answer me one tiny thing before that, Vegeta."

He cocked an eyebrow at her request. However, he had learned over time to trust Bulma's mysterious, scatter-minded and apparently eccentric reasoning. A small nod from him was all it took for her to go on.

"What did I want to wish for the first time I searched for the dragon balls?"

Vegeta knew the answer like he knew his name. He remembered every single detail of the night they talked about it – at the time, he found it the most idiotic wish he had ever heard. Power, immortality, the slow and painful destruction of one's enemies, those were worthy wishes. What the woman had confessed seemed the most pathetic thing he could've thought of, but after time -years- of analyzing her desire, he came to the conclusion that it somehow gave them something in common, a similar thread in their lives left undone.

They had been two lonely kids. An enslaved, dethroned prince, and a young heiress that could never live a normal life.

He narrowed his eyes and whispered:

"Why are you ask-"

Bulma placed a finger on his lips to shut him up with the sweetest smile on her face.

"Just tell me."

The saiyan rolled his eyes as he saw Bulma's face lighting up with anticipation.

"A boyfriend" he replied, holding back the desire of remarking how absurd her wish was, just to have the pleasure of seeing her angry. She was fun to be around when she was mad, but this time, he couldn't do it. He was too intrigued to see if she'd figured things out .

At the mere sound of his words, Bulma squealed with excitement.

"You are from the FUTURE!" she said blissfully, taking his face in her hands and glancing into his astounded black eyes. She appeared fascinated by the revelation: the adventurer inside of her loved the idea of time traveling, and the little smart ass within loved putting pieces together and being right.

Vegeta only managed to nod weakly, slightly frightened at the passionate display of affection she just burst into.

"Wha-how… how did you know?"

Why was he even asking? He knew the answer that was coming. I am a genius…

"I am a genius!" she replied excitedly, "Yes I am, Vegeta! A gorgeous, beautiful genius! Oh my god… THE FUTURE." Barely pausing to breathe, Bulma smiled at him once again, still cupping his face with her delicate hands and giggled "I was planning on telling you the 'I wanted to wish for a boyfriend' story when we got back to Earth. I know you are curious about how I met Kakarot and got involved in all this alien madness. It's a great pick up story, by the way."

A knowing, almost imperceptible smile curved the saiyan's lips.

"It pleases me when you do that."

"When I do what?" Bulma asked, surprised at his warm remark.

"When you call him Kakarot every time we're alone."

That phrase alone sent chills of awareness down her spine: the deep intimacy suggested by his words struck her like a train. Bulma's senses were altered; a cold spark contracted her muscles and made her pull away from the saiyan at the thought of what he fully meant. She had really drunk too much to think straight, questions and doubts revolving inside her head like a whirlwind. Bulma knew she had to ask something about their relationship in the future but why couldn't she just put her finger on it and say it?

_Are you still on Earth in the future?_

_Why are you still on Earth in the future?_

_I thought all you wanted to do was leave._

_Leave me…_

_What are we in the future, that you talk to me like that?_

_And you look at me like that…_

_Why did you come here?_

_Why did you come to me?_

_Gosh, I shouldn't have drunk this much._

_Maybe one more drink will clear up my mind…_

Vegeta realized he was in a deeper state of intoxication than he thought. He had already lost count of how many drinks he'd had, since Bulma impulsively kept filling his glass.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, the prince mumbled something Bulma couldn't understand.

"What's that?" she asked curiously, her bright blue eyes staring insistently at him.

"14 years, I said" Vegeta shook his head incredulously, remembering how much things had changed. "I'm sitting on the same ship where I punched the air out of your lungs 14 years ago." The saiyan slowly took his hand to his neck, absentmindedly touching the scarred surface of the burn mark on his skin.

Bulma blinked, suddenly at loss of words.

"Whoa. 14 years!" She immediately thought of the worst. That kid from the future had told them the androids would destroy everything they cared about. What if the androids were beaten but some other horrible thing happened?

"But…is everyone ok? Is the Earth safe?" Bulma asked worriedly.

Vegeta stood up and immediately felt the turning of the floor beneath his feet.

"The Earth is fine" he spoke to the wall as he leaned his forearms on the surface, shifting his weight towards it.

"So you haven't destroyed it?"

He turned to look at her frowning, almost offended at the remark. He had spent the last years of his life fighting to defend their godforsaken planet and she just dared to suggest-

"Why the hell would I…?!" he snapped.

Then it all came back to him. The Vegeta that Bulma currently knew was far more… intense than his future self.

"For all I know" she replied strongly "you're still an unpredictable space psycho!" Her voice switched to a defensive tone as she backed away from him.

"Oh, I'm the space psycho?" he replied, pointing back at her. "Try dealing with your fucking mood swings every month for 14 years! Sometimes you make me want to stick my head out into space and die!"

Bulma squealed loudly and threw a pillow at him which he easily dodged.

"You already used that line on me you jerk!"

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, like hours ago."

He smirked. "I guess that reveals how often I think about that when I'm around you."

She growled in frustration.

Vegeta growled back at her and she could see one of his wolfish white fangs shining between his lips before he turned his back to her; the muscles of his shoulder blades tensed beneath his clothes.

"Listen to me, Bulma. You might not understand my actions right now, but you have to trust what I say. I was sent here because you're in danger, and apparently that purple freak thinks I'm the only one who can do anything about it."

Bulma frowned, confused "What purpl- what are you talking about?"

She could still see the tension in his body language when he replied in a softer voice:

"Supreme Kai."

She didn't understand a thing, and all the vodka in her system wasn't helping either. Tilting her head to one side, she cursed her mind for working so goddam slowly. No witty remarks escaped her lips this time:

"Huh?"

The saiyan slowly turned to the side towards her, inspecting her through the corner of his eye. Bulma became fully aware that in spite of the things that were different about him, the predatory aura that surrounded him hadn't changed one bit.

"The Supreme Kai of the East is the one who sent me here."

"YOU KNOW ONE OF THE SUPREME KAIS?"

Vegeta nodded slightly as he turned to face her.

"The ghosts from Namek's moon aren't like anything you've seen before. They can and will hurt you. That is not a chance we can take." He tightened his fisted hands.

Bulma shook her head incredulously. "I know that, Vegeta, that's why I'm bringing the armor I built. What I still don't get is why you're in this equation. Why would you, of all people, be interested in protecting me? Why did Supreme Kai choose you?"

He frowned, annoyed at the idea of having to explain himself on such an intimate level. It had taken years of pain, tears and blood to become the man he was now, and every fiber of his body spoke wordlessly about it. His wife in the future could read him like she was the only speaker of an alien, unknown language; there was no need for talking or explaining with her - she had been the most important part of the process that changed him. He knew, however, that at the point of their lives he had returned to -just after Frieza had died and the androids were coming- his relationship with Bulma was so tense and complicated that the mere thought of it gave him a sharp headache.

"Because apparently I owe the universe something" he said harshly, looking hard into her big blue eyes, "and you and me, Bulma, have some pending issues."

She blinked.

"What kind of issues?"

His eyes narrowed as he approached her, lowering his voice.

"All I can tell you for the moment is that from now on, we're a team."

He wasn't threatening her; it even seemed that the idea of teamwork wasn't bothering him. For some reason she didn't quite identify -an sharp impulse, a sound gut feeling- Bulma couldn't doubt his words, but her logical mind made her ask anyway. Her voice came out weaker than she intended:

"How do I know if I can trust you? What if you turned against us again?"

Bulma felt the saiyan's hand resting reassuringly on her shoulder, once again revealing a bond that they were yet to build.

"Those two baby saiyans you saw..."

How did he know? Bulma's heart was racing, but it felt like it was physically impossible for her to get the words out. She tried in vain to turn away from him, shaking with the memory of the terrible vision, scared of what he might say to her. Vegeta's hand slid through her arm down to her wrist, making its way slowly towards her palm, finally interlacing his fingers with hers. She didn't back away when the saiyan spoke again:

"If you want our children to live, we have to do this together."

_What the fuck did he just say?!_

The prince just held her hand warmly. He did not appear to be joking.

Bulma's jaw dropped, half expecting Vegeta to take back that last statement. He had to take it back. He just had to.

"You're kidding" she replied awkwardly, knowing in her heart that he wasn't.

As Vegeta squeezed her hand gently, Bulma saw the fire of truth and conviction igniting in his eyes when he responded, as a deep frown curved his brow:

"Do you see these silly earthling shoes I am wearing?"

Bulma looked down, remembering how his black Converse sneakers had caught her attention when they first encountered.

"Yeah."

"I only wear these because you like them," he said with gravity.

She couldn't help to be strangely amused at the severity of his tone clashing with such a superficial issue.

"O-kay?"

He leaned his free hand on the wall, cornering her, his serious stance never leaving him.

"You like them because you used to wear them too when you were a kid" Vegeta said, like he was revealing a Biblical truth, "A blue pair and a red pair. The blue ones were always your favorite because they went well with a pink dress that had your name written across the chest."

A cocky smirk appeared on his face as he saw Bulma's eyes widen, before he let out one last prideful remark:

"You see, little genius, it seems that I do listen to your blabbering after all."

Bulma managed to mouth one surprised "oh-my-God" before she could talk back.

"How... why did you... how did we...?"

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives," he stated firmly, making her think of the saiyan race and how it was savagely exterminated, "nor the most intelligent that survives." Making a pause and slightly backing away from her, he continued: "It is the one most adaptable to change."

Bulma felt something exploding powerfully inside of her at the realization that he was quoting the very heart of Charles Darwin's doctrine.

The hand he had leant on the wall moved towards her face, until he could touch her cheek with unprecedented softness.

"You taught me that, Bulma," he said with a hint of devotion.

She felt a wave of heat kindling in her spine before he went on:

"And so I changed."

Bulma knew he meant every word. How could it be possible that he could be so different from the man she knew in the present, and at the same time, so similar to his very essence?

Before she could speak, a violent, sudden quake shook the ship, making them slide and crash against a wall along with loose books and test tubes. The screen that showed the technical status and trajectory of the spaceship -which she had installed in every single room so she could monitor their traveling conditions at all times- went red as a warning sign popped up and the alarm went off loudly.

"What's going on?" she said, balancing against the wall to stand up straight again.

The saiyan's whole posture was drenched with alertness, just like a wild animal sensing danger. They were getting critically close to the Borges moon of Namek, which only meant one thing.

"The ghosts" Vegeta said, not looking at her while he struggled to sense any foreign presence in the ship "They're here".

Bulma swallowed hard, suddenly feeling her limbs going numb. It was fear; cold, raw fear all over again, spreading through her blood like a virus.

"Don't just stand there!" he yelled. "Move your ass and go get Darwin!"

Taking in a big breath of air, Bulma regained her balance while the whole structure still shook and cracked. The scientist gathered all the strength she had and tumbled towards the opposite corner of the room where the armor floated in a regeneration tank. The lights buzzed and dimmed, the alarms were going off and she was still a little drunk. From the corner of her eye she could see Vegeta running out of the room, chasing something she barely got a glimpse of: a mere shadow that chilled her to her very core.

The loud noise of the alarms and the floor moving beneath her feet made Bulma stumble before she could make it to the tank where Darwin was being reconstructed. She felt something cold pulsing in the back of her neck which she strived to ignore, but she couldn't avoid listening to the message it sang insistently: something terrible was about to happen.

As she reached her hand towards the controller that would open the tank, a terrible vision materialized in front of her. The red, intermittent lights revealed the face of the ghost that appeared before her, one of its monstrous hands painfully grabbing Bulma's wrist to stop her from getting to the control.

She had seen enough George Romero movies to know what zombies looked like. Yep, this was definitely one of them.

Oh my God, she was going to die. How tall and big was the thing? It was twice her size, at least. Its rotten muscles were still bulging with power, and the stench of decay was unbearable. Chunks of flesh hung from his bones and tendons; its grey skin was tearing like wet paper. Bulma gagged at the sight, not even thinking about the fact that it was grasping her wrist with its disgusting hand. However, she couldn't help to notice that the zombie was wearing a broken armor; she recognized it instantly.

A saiyan armor.

A flash of lucidity struck her and she remembered everything. That afternoon in Master Roshi's house, the TV broadcasting the arrival of the aliens live. She remembered Vegeta and his scouter, his tail wrapped tightly around his waist, standing fearlessly against her terrified friends. The prince was not alone that day. She remembered…

"Nappa!"

Vegeta's deep and loud groan made the zombie turn its broken neck towards him, its face deforming into a gut clenching grin. The prince was lying paralyzed on the floor, a thick worm of dark steam trapping his limbs.

Bulma's eyes filled with tears as she couldn't push away the thought that this was it, she was going to die. Even if Vegeta were free from that monster's gasp, he wouldn't lift a finger to protect her… would he? She shook those thoughts and fears away. If her gut was right, she could trust him.

They were a team now.

Trapped under the dense smoke creature that pressed down against his sprawling body, Vegeta immediately recognized the comrade he'd murdered in cold blood so many years ago, now returning as a grotesque testimony of the monster he had been. He saw Bulma's terrified face and the zombie saiyan's filthy hand squeezing her fragile wrist. She was frozen and shaking.

Nappa laughed before he spoke with a voice from beyond the grave: a carnivorous, unstoppable death rattle.

"My prince, what a pleasure to see you again."

Getting to his knees, Vegeta powered up as the ghost that trapped him struggled against his overwhelming Ki.

"What the fuck are you doing here? Didn't you have enough when I blasted your pathetic existence to the other world?"

Bulma felt her hand growing cold from the lack of blood. Nappa tightened his grip and she moaned in pain, fearing that he'd end up crushing her wrist.

"So this is the prince's whore?" the zombie said, shaking Bulma's arm violently. "She must be a dirty slut if she ended up fucking the man who would've destroyed her planet in a minute. Perhaps it makes sense after all, since you are a filthy traitor yourself, aren't you?"

Vegeta had murdered him in cold blood. Bulma knew that, but still she saw a spark of warmth inside of him that she couldn't deny.

"You were weak and unworthy!" Vegeta growled, while the serpent tightened to hold him down, "You became nothing more than one of Frieza's bitches!"

Bulma screamed in pain as her arm twisted painfully when the undead saiyan moved with violence, her sore hand now completely numb with Nappa's rotting flesh and bones grabbing her fiercely. It was a nightmare. Darwin was so close… if she could just get to the goddam panel. Her eyes then turned to Vegeta, held down in the hallway in front of her room. Overcoming the pain, a flash of electricity down her neck enlightened her as she remembered how she'd thrown the ghost capturing capsule at him when they first encountered.

"Vegeta!" she yelled. "The capsule! It fell on the kitchen floor!"

"Don't you dare move!" Nappa spat, "or I will kill the bitch! Don't you remember, Vegeta, how much we enjoyed killing women just like her?"

The saiyan prince's eyes narrowed. Yes, he remembered. But he also knew the ghost was only toying with his will. Things had changed inside of him for good.

Bulma, on the other hand, felt her heart tighten. The zombie would kill her. For a brief second she doubted her actions. Her thoughts rapidly grazed the night she and Vegeta spent together. Seriously, what was she doing? He was a cold blooded killer, a living weapon. Seeing Nappa only reminded her of what he used to be… not so long ago. Her mind jumped back and forth frantically between distrusting the saiyan she currently knew and his future self.

Suddenly, Goku's forgiving presence appeared in her mind. He also seemed to see something in Vegeta that all of their team mates overlooked…

She was still terrified, though.

I can't take this, she thought as she squeezed her eyes shut.

I am not a warrior.

She saw the prince striving to crawl his way towards the kitchen and grab the capsule that had fallen near entrance while Nappa's demonic screams telling him to stop moving or he'd kill her resounded over the alarms and the chaotic movements of the ship. The next thing she knew, a flash of blinding light flooded the ship entirely.

Bulma screamed as the hot aura of power blew over them like a hurricane. With her eyes barely capturing the situation before her, she saw Vegeta transforming into a golden god-like warrior with a raging burst of energy. Blond hair, emerald eyes, a shining aura like pure sunlight.

What the…?

Shocked by Vegeta's transformation, Nappa's whole body clenched.

She would never forget the pain and the sound of what happened next.

Bulma's wrist was crushed under his powerful fist, the bones fractured with an unforgettably loud cracking sound -like the sound of a chicken bone snapping- and then, her blood spilled and overflowed from her torn skin. The single sight of her wrist turned into a bloody pulp made Bulma's knees weak before everything went dark.


	7. In Borges

Hi readers! Hope your holidays were lovely. I just wanted to take the amazing Ms. **Springandbysummerfall**'s for her great insight and editing skills. Enjoy!

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Bulma felt like her eyelids had been glued together when she tried to open them. Her own, slow heartbeat resounded inside her chest and in her ears as she struggled to regain full awareness. Where was she? What had happened?

Her toes curled and stretched as she tried to reach the floor with her feet before she realized she was floating. Bubbles ran up her legs when she moved while her luscious blue hair waved around her face. The mask cupping her nose and mouth, breathing air into her lungs, made her realize she was in the regeneration tank. Her body tightened with awareness; she felt nothing, even though she expected a wave of pain to wash over her like a tsunami. To make sure she hadn't lost all sensitivity in her body, Bulma softly bit the tip of her tongue, relieved to feel the sharp sting of her fangs.

Slowly opening her eyes, Bulma could see movement in the room –none of it violent- and a sense of relief filled her lungs. The fight was over and she was alive, somehow. As the blurriness of her sight cleared up, she could tell exactly what was going on. Vegeta was on his knees cleaning a pool of blood next to the tank with a deep scowl on his face. Even though she was used to seeing him frown like that, there was something unsettling about it this time. What was it, exactly? She inspected Vegeta thoroughly through the glass; from what she could tell, he was in good shape, just a few stains of blood on his face and armor-

Wait, what? Had he changed his clothes? Where were his earthling clothes? Maybe he just changed to be ready for battle. Or maybe… No. This _had_ to be the future version of him. She knew that everything had been real.

A vague surge of fear shook her nerves slightly, making her eyebrows twitch.

When the saiyan realized Bulma had awoken, he let the bloody cloth slip from his hand and fall. The breast plate from his armor rose and sank along with his wide chest as he inhaled deeply, standing back up. The hard way he looked at her as he walked towards the regeneration only fed Bulma's concern. The zombie and the ghost were nowhere to be seen. What could possibly be wrong?

Standing closely in front of the glass and leaning one hand on it, Vegeta's look softened when his eyes met Bulma's, never losing the seriousness that defined it.

"Are you in pain?" Vegeta asked neutrally while he typed a code on the control panel to take Bulma out of the tank, hoping that the huge amount of sedatives he had injected in her had done their job.

She shook her head slowly.

The water slowly drained from the tank as she blinked to clear her sight, still under the hard effect of drugs. Her whole body felt strangely numb as she tried to step out of the tank while Vegeta wrapped her with a towel.

"I feel strange, what did you give me?" she asked as her eyes slowly wandered over the floor, seeing three discarded syringes and an empty bottle of sedative lying around.

"Sit on the bed," he commanded dryly.

The room was a mess. Dragging her feet lazily towards the bed -her limbs were numb-, she noticed how the room still smelled of smoke and dust. For the moment, she couldn't take in all the details, but she knew her ship had been turned to shit. The memories were coming back to her very slowly, like her neurons were drunk and clumsy.

Bulma carefully bent her knees to sit down on the bed and Vegeta rushed to wrap one arm around her and help her sit.

"Careful with the wound," he said, sounding more worried than he intended. Bulma turned to face him with a puzzled expression on her face. What wou-

She suddenly remembered. Nappa. Her wrist. Vegeta's transformation. Her bones grotesquely snapping...

* * *

_"Stop that," he chuckled against her lips, curving his spine seductively like a lazy tiger, trapping her beneath his arms. The sweet smell of spring danced into the room along with a soft breeze that moved the curtains. That night the moon over Capsule Corp seemed to be shining brighter than ever as its glow subtly lit the dark bedroom. "It fucking tickles!" He complained with a kittenish groan._

_"No! The force is with me!" She replied playfully, as blue electricity bubbled along her graceful fingers, touching Vegeta slightly with the static charge that emerged from her skin._

_"Come to the dark side of the force with me, then." Vegeta mumbled mischievously as he kissed her deeply, grazing his naked body against hers. "We know how to have fun."_

_She moaned in amusement and slid her hands across his well-built chest down his hard abs, not holding back the urge to smile at him when she grabbed the base of his powerful, enticing erection._

_"For fuck's sake, your body is so perfect it hurts my eyes," Bulma said in awe, realizing that no matter how many years had passed, she still couldn't believe she was the lucky woman that got to fuck such a delicious extraterrestrial creature._

_He thrust his hips forward, pushing his cock further into her grasp, spreading the wetness that was pooling at its soft, round tip. She grabbed him tightly, biting her lower lip in anticipation. The saiyan's eyes rolled back with pleasure as he whispered roughly:_

_"You're so good with your hands."_

* * *

When things change in such a violent manner, adaptability is key to survival. Bulma knew that –she kept replaying those words in her mind like a mantra – but the thick, painful knot beating in her throat wouldn't go away. They had landed on the Borges moon that morning, and if her situation were any different, she would've been wildly excited: the moon was a lush, beautiful place. Emerald green waters bathed its surface and huge islands, covered in thick vegetation, were scattered like tiny continents. The beaches were formed by white, silky sand, and the suns in the light green sky drenched the moon with their tropical warmth.

The ship was stationed on one of the many quiet, idyllic beaches, the soft sound of the ocean calling out to her from outside. Bulma, however, was confined in her lab working, feeding on shock and fear to keep her moving.

Nappa had crushed her wrist so savagely that she had completely lost her hand.

She should've guessed from Vegeta's expression that something terrible had happened, but she was far too sedated to realize right away how bad the consequences were the moment she stepped out of the regeneration tank.

Her hand was gone. The bones of her wrist had been turned literally to dust.

Bulma hid the true devastation she felt behind a harsh mask of concentration as she worked on an artificial replacement prosthesis. The saiyan patiently watched her from the corner of the room, arms crossed on his chest, studying her every move and expression. How was he supposed to act now? He had seen many creatures losing their limbs and their lives along his life as a soldier, an assassin and finally, as a protector of Earth. He knew his wife had lost a hand on this trip – he just didn't expect it to happen so quickly and brutally. Vegeta scowled at the thought. How else would an amputation occur? He thought to himself angrily. If he had known what Nappa would do, he would've stopped him... why couldn't he stop him? How could he fail her so deeply?

He couldn't approach her out of shame. What was worse: she didn't even seem to care he couldn't protect her. Wasn't she angry? Wasn't she scared?

Vegeta was silently shocked as she watched her work. No screaming, no crying, just silence; Bulma hadn't spoken in hours. Furthermore, when she realized her hand was missing, she didn't look for his comfort or support. The awful event had only triggered the most uncanny reaction: maybe out of shock, she didn't shed a single tear. After the revelation, Bulma seemed obsessed with moving on to develop a piece of biologic engineering to replace what had been taken from her. Forcing herself to think only about the short term implications, she concluded that without a hand she would certainly die. And between adapting and dying, she chose to adapt.

Wearing Darwin's helmet, her eyes narrowed as she took a thick syringe filled with a glowing bright blue liquid and observed it thoroughly against the light. Yes, that should be enough. The prosthesis she had just connected to her anesthetized forearm-a hand joined to a wrist made out of the same biologically sensitive and resistant material Darwin was made of- had to be still so it would merge correctly.

Suddenly, Bulma's words resounded in the lab coolly:

"Wash and sterilize your hands", she said, her lifeless eyes never leaving the prosthesis. "I'm going to need you to hold my arm".

"You're going to be alright, you know," Vegeta decidedly said, drying his hands before he approached her calmly. Bulma's expression didn't change when she absentmindedly replied, wrapping a rubber band tightly above her elbow:

"Is that so?"

The saiyan wondered if she had really heard what he just said.

"I knew this would happen," he added quietly.

For the first time in hours, a spark lit up in Bulma's blue eyes as she turned to look at him angrily.

"What did you say?"

"Well, of course I knew it would happen, I just didn't know when or how exactly!" Vegeta replied almost harshly, but softened his tone as he went on, "You never wanted to talk about how it happened. That is what disturbed me the most, I think... such a loud-mouthed creature as yourself... holding such mysterious, solemn silence about the whole thing." Bulma suddenly felt his fingers running through her hair; he was apparently too absorbed by the memories he was recalling to notice what he was doing. "When that fat son of a bitch cut my tail," Vegeta remembered the first time he arrived on Earth and the sharp pain Yajirobe's sword inflicted on him, "I knew I had to move on quick if I wanted to live. Furthermore, that event only seemed to increase my power. However, you, Bulma..." he stared hard into her eyes as he spoke her name, "You... you are a maker. How could an artist like you live without one of her hands?"

Bulma's frown was swiped away by the saiyan's unexpected words and everything that was implied in them. She swallowed hard as her heart started beating wildly. Vegeta was the father of her two children... and he talked to her like he knew her for a lifetime. It was a no brainer, they were obviously a couple. A team, like he had passionately stated before. Suddenly, an electrifying wave of pain expanded from the tattoo in her back up to her heart, filling it with life and adrenaline. Bulma, restraining the impulse, decided this was not the moment to think about these issues.

There would be time to talk about their relationship -hell, their family- later. Keeping a cool head was now of essence: she needed precision, reason, strength.

She opened her mouth, but not a single sound came out as she faced the saiyan's intense gaze. He gasped silently, realizing how hard it had become for him to hide his emotions around her. There was no need to hide anything from his wife anymore... but the version of Bulma he was dealing with didn't know that.

Narrowing his eyes as his face turned into a cold mask once again, Vegeta signaled with his head the syringe she was holding; it was a thick device filled with an unsettling bright blue liquid, sparkling with what seemed like tiny lightning bolts.

"What's in that?" he asked.

"Micro electrodes" Bulma answered, turning her attention back to the blue liquid. "They will make their way up to my brain and down my nervous system to connect the new hand to my body, so I can control it just like any other limb." Her fingers grazed the green bandages that wrapped the stump at the end of her arm and kept it joined to the artificial hand. "These bandages have namekian DNA in them. They will be absorbed after the electrodes enter my system, healing and regenerating the skin, flesh and bones, and finishing the merging process. After this is completed, I'll be able to use this hand like it were my own… hopefully."

Bulma placed her arm on a stretcher, the inner part of her elbow facing upwards to expose her veins.

"This will hurt like a motherfucker" she said, addressing Vegeta, "so I'm going to need you to hold me down."

He nodded silently as he did what she asked. He could see the beads of sweat emerging from her face, neck and chest, revealing the true fear –and utter certainty of the pain she was about to feel- that invaded her.

"It is war what truly puts men to the test; it reveals their true nature. I've seen thousands of proud warriors become pathetic cowards after losing a toe. Battle shows you unmercifully and plainly if you have what it takes to fight, if you are brave and worthy," he whispered against her hair, his muscles tightening around her body as she buried the needle into her flesh, "You have courage, Bulma. I've seen it; I've known it ever since we met. You can do this."

* * *

The ocean that bathed the opposite side of the Borges moon was peaceful and rhythmical.

Sipping his cold, virgin Margarita, Supreme Kai nodded slightly. He put the book he was reading down on his lap and sat up straight on the lounger, removing his sunglasses and smiled at the horizon.

"Seems things are going just how they were meant to be."

* * *

"BULMA"

"BULMAAAA"

"BULMA U OK!"

"BULMA WER R U!"

"BULMA ANSUR PLZ WER R U!"

"BULMAAA U OK ANSUR PLZZZ!"

Bulma grabbed the phone as a snort escaped her lips. She was finally getting some good quality rest after the never-ending series of traumatic events that she just went through. Now, as she played with the electricity bubbling in her fingers from her brand new hand and relaxed in the sunlight, lying on the beach, the sound of the phone annoyed her to no ends.

She read the messages Goku sent her and felt like her eyes were bleeding. "Gohan should teach his dad some spelling," she quietly mumbled as she tapped Goku's name to call him back.

The friendly saiyan's face appeared on the screen.

"Finally, Bulma! We've been trying to reach you for hours. Did you arrive? Are you ok?"

"Hey, Goku" she replied with a soft smile, silently admitting to herself that the sight of her friend could cheer her up at any moment. "I'm good, safe and sound on the Borges moon."

"Wha-are you wearing a bikini?" he asked, getting goofily close to the camera.

Bulma rolled her eyes. "Yeah, the moon is actually a beautiful place, it's warm and there're beaches and… What the hell are you doing, Goku?" she interrupted herself as he saw her friend handling the phone in an awkward way.

"Uh…Krillin and Yamcha asked me to take a screenshot," the saiyan replied innocently.

She blushed intensely as she yelled at the phone covering her cleavage:

"ARGH! You sick perverts!"

He laughed apologetically, but couldn't help to notice that when she lifted her arm, her right hand looked strikingly different…that same blue material Darwin was made of covered it up to the wrist.

"Hey, is that a glove or what? It looks cool."

Bulma felt a hot rush of blood flooding her cheeks, suddenly self-conscious of her new image; she hadn't stopped to think that her body had changed permanently. Even though the hand she had built was anatomically perfect and she could move it like she was born with it, it looked, well, different. The shape was just like a normal, human hand made of flesh and bones, but the color was unique… and its power was different too. Now she could discharge powerful electric shocks at will.

"It's not a glove," she replied, sudden darkness casting over her bright ultramarine eyes, looking down to her arm, "it's a prosthesis. I…" she cleared her throat awkwardly. "A ghost crushed my wrist and amputated my hand."

Fuck, it was the first time she said it out loud and it sounded awful.

Goku's expression changed into a deep frown, filled with concern for her friend. "Oh, Bulma…"

"No! Don't you dare pity me!" She rushed to reply.

"Fuck, Bulma, I'm serious," Goku answered passionately, losing what was left of his gentleness. "I made a mistake. I shouldn't have let you go all by yourself... none of us should. I have to go get you. The guys will handle what's going on here, which by the way is pretty fucked up too."

"Don't come, Goku" she replied vehemently, "I'm fine, trust me. I may not be strong as you, but I can solve my own problems."

"I will never, ever forgive myself if anything bad happens to you..." He remembered Trunks, and that, if Bulma died and he was never born, the Earth was doomed. A tight knot built up in his throat as he spoke: "Wait for me in a safe place, I'll teleport."

"No", Bulma's voice was dangerously serious yet calm, "I mean it. Whatever it is that I'm here to do, Goku, I have to do it by myself. There's something bigger going on here, something... that will affect the rest of my life."

She seemed deeply convinced –the strength she saw in her amazed him in such a way that he couldn't doubt her words.

With a long frustrated sigh, Goku replied:

"Okay, fine… I trust you. Things here are crazy too... lots of ghosts, most of them harmless, wander around the planet. We've been catching them with your capsules, but we still haven't found the spirit of the boy you're looking for."

"Yin," Bulma repeated the boy's name out loud. "I'll look for him here in the moon, so please let me know if you find him before I do".

"Ok. Just... take care, alright? We're all worried about you."

She winked an eye at him.

"I'll be fine. Now go play Ghostbusters and let me get some rest," she replied playfully.

Goku smiled back a bit sadly before hanging up.

"Bye Bulma, stay in touch."

* * *

Bulma let the phone slip between her fingers and into the sand, letting a deep sigh escape her lips as she watched a shirtless Vegeta walk out of the ship, his tanned skin glowing under the delicious sunlight. Her eyes were suddenly immersed in the perfect sight of him, while her mind replayed their previous moments together. There was something bubbling inside of her, something she didn't want to name, that had started to grow in his presence… a sense of complicity and reciprocity.

The comfort he obviously felt around her had begun to get to her, intoxicating her as well. She waved at him cheerfully, testing her new hand.

"Hey, I can wave!" she laughed as he walked towards her.

The phone suddenly received another message as Goku's name popped up on the screen. She picked it up from the sand to read it.

"Stay the fuck alive. The gravity room won't fix itself."

Her heart skipped a beat. It was obvious who that was from.

She felt Vegeta sitting by her side on the sand, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. His sudden presence made her grab the phone tightly and quickly put it back on the sand, the screen facing down.

"What are we supposed to do now?" she asked after clearing her throat, mostly out of the urge to talk than out of real doubt.

"Get some rest. Then we can explore." he replied bluntly.

Bulma rolled her eyes, "Always a great conversationalist, huh?"

The saiyan snorted, but his eyes gave away a spark of amusement.

"You talk too much about meaningless issues."

She smiled as she watched the peaceful swaying of the ocean, and was careful not to look at him in the eye as she spoke:

"Let's talk about what matters, then. Tell me about the twins."

Bulma could feel Vegeta shifting his weight and sighing beside her, but she couldn't turn to him. She was scared of what her emotions could be if she did.

"They are not twins." His reply was short and dry.

"But I saw..."

"I know what you saw. But they are not twins. The boy is 13 and the girl is 2."

Bulma hugged her knees and pulled them close to her chest, resting her left cheek on them. She watched Vegeta's hands play distractedly with the sand. She knew she could get pregnant by accident – they had been wildly irresponsible back on the ship – but a second child? With that age difference? That was no accident!

Even though the urge to ask more questions burned powerfully inside of her, she held it back with all her will. Instead, she let her blue hand approach his with absolute subtleness, until she grazed his fingers. Vegeta felt the soft material he knew so well: smooth, almost as human skin, and warm, just like the rest of her body. The saiyan stretched his fingers casually, letting Bulma interlock her hand with his. None of them looked at the other, both of them avidly absorbed by the ocean's beautiful colors.

"The boy is a natural born leader" he continued, "he has your will and your wits. He is a proud, strong and noble fighter, Bulma, you'd be amazed..." The pause he made was charged with memories, "And the girl, she'll be trouble some day. The smartest baby I've ever seen. She'd put any pure saiyan child to shame."

"They sound great" Bulma whispered.

"They are." he replied, a proud smile curving his lips.

"And us?" she asked shyly, a hot rush of blood slightly flushing her cheeks.

She could feel Vegeta's strong, dark eyes on her as he spoke.

"We got married 9 years ago."

Bulma, as the intelligent woman she was, knew something like that was probably coming. But married? Her heart tightened as she thought of Vegeta accepting such a meaningful earthling ritual for her. And even though it didn't make sense, she had to restrain the urge of squealing like a teenager.

Save face, Bulma Briefs, she thought as she bit one of her fingers to avoid smiling, containing the primal effervescence building up inside of her.

"Just do it, alright?" he said with a huff.

"Do what?" she asked, feeling her face turn redder, burying it awkwardly between her knees.

"I know you want to squeal, woman, so let's get it over with. And stop biting your finger, you know how that irritates me-"

Vegeta's voice made a sudden stop when he realized that she didn't know. Not now. She didn't seem to notice the change in his expression when she turned to look at him, her eyes glittering and a breathtaking smile on her face.

"What?" he asked, clearly losing his patience.

Bulma burst out laughing, her hands covering her mouth trying to restrain herself in vain.

"What the hell are you laughing about?" he said, scowling.

"I'm… just… happy!" she replied drying the tears from her eyes.

Happy, surprised, excited. Was it because Vegeta stayed with her? Was it because she knew for sure she wouldn't be an old maid? Was it because something in his actions told her that he loved her? Who cares. This journey had been a rollercoaster ride of emotions and she wouldn't waste her energy hiding the utter, senseless joy she felt.

The saiyan wrapped one of his strong arms around her slender waist and pulled her closer next to him.

"You never make any sense to me" he complained, staring back at the ocean.

"Ah, well, I bet you love that, tough guy" she giggled, resting her head on his shoulder.

* * *

_Bulma walked around the room like a restless caged tiger. Her makeup was ruined, showing that she'd been crying intensely for a long time. Blue strands of hair were sticking to her wet cheeks when she laid her aquamarine hand against the wall to put on a pair of black heels, cursing as she couldn't strap them on standing up._

_Vegeta approached her decidedly._

_"This isn't over", he said, "You can't leave!"_

_"Really?" Bulma replied ironically, putting on the other shoe, "Watch me!"_

_"I'm not toying with you!" he answered, grabbing her wrist tightly._

_"And you think I am? Let me go, Vegeta, I'm serious."_

_"You can't do this, Bulma. You can't just run away."_

_With a deep sigh, the scientist turned to look at her agitated husband right in the eye. He stared back at her, defying her wordlessly. Suddenly, a spark of electricity cracked in Bulma's hand, making the saiyan release her at once._

_"Fuck! Don't do that!" he said, rubbing his hand in pain._

_"I'm tired of having the same fight over and over, Vegeta! I am exhausted!" She yelled as she poked his chest with a finger. "You have no idea what it's been like for me. Do you think it's easy, being married to you? Do you think it's easy to defend you and love you after all you did? After the way you treated me when I got pregnant with Trunks? After the way you treated Mirai Trunks?" she made a pause and her eyes filled with raging tears once again, "After you turned against us, during that Majin Boo disaster?"_

_"I sacrificed my life for you!" he replied back passionately._

_"I KNOW! And I've loved you endlessly even before that! Don't you get it, Vegeta? I hate bringing up these issues because I've always loved you, in spite of what you did. I've always loved you even when you didn't deserve it. I don't want to argue about what is already in the past, but I need you to understand what I'm saying: I let all those things go. However you" her eyes narrowed as she spoke, "you cannot forgive what I did. One time I fail you, and you torture me with it!"_

_"We've been through this," he insisted, "I forgave you, you know that."_

_"Is that so?" she asked, pushing him back, "Well it doesn't look like it. You bring it up at every chance you get! I know I fucked up, fucked up bad, but it was a one-time mistake. If I could take it back I swear I would, but unfortunately, we have to deal with it."_

_He turned his back to her with frustration._

_"Coward!" she spat, "Of course you can't deal with it, anything requiring any emotional work is beyond your interest, isn't it?"_

_Bulma saw his strong shoulders tightening as he whispered:_

_"How dare you say that to me? You and the kids are my life, I changed everything I was for you… and all it took for you to forget that was one pretty alien bastard-"_

_She grabbed her head with her hands as she shook it with disbelief._

_"Oh my god, you did it. You're bringing up Tapion again."_


	8. The philosophy of time travel

As always, I cannot thank **springandbysummerfall** enough for all her talent and her wonderful mind. Hope you all enjoy!

* * *

Vegeta watched in silence as Bulma slept, curled up in the warm sand next to the stationed ship. He grabbed the phone lying by her side to check the time, feeling slightly disoriented. The suns never set on Borges. According to the device, it was 3 a.m. back home.

_Back home_, he said to himself once again, something warm pulsing in his chest as he did.

His eyes turned back to the exhausted scientist; even though her long blue hair covered parts of her face, he could still recognize every inch and every freckle of the face he knew so well. The resemblance to their baby daughter made his heart tighten briefly, not fighting the urge to brush the hair from her face. He indulged in its softness, recalling the same silky texture of his son's hair between his fingers. He never thought he'd be the father of such strange-looking saiyans… no dark, spiky hair, no piercing black eyes. If his father had seen them he surely would've winced. God, they were beautiful kids.

He missed them. He missed his wife and everything he was used to, back in the future. And suddenly, shook by a flashback, Vegeta became oddly anxious when he remembered how bad their last fight was and the consequences it had…

Supreme Kai had been obscure when he called him to send him on this time-traveling mission. Something about Bulma, in the past, being in critical danger… him, being the only one who could help her. Something about maintaining balance in the Universe; a profound debt he had to pay back to the gods.

A sacred test of worthiness.

Had he failed? Was he there to change Bulma's destiny, to let her keep her right hand? The sound of bones snapping, her gut-clenching screams that went on for an eternity until she passed out inside the regeneration tank, the unsettling coldness in her eyes as she bandaged the stump at the end of her arm; the echoes haunted him in a way he never thought possible. During his years as a soldier he had killed, tortured, heard the last dying breaths of all sorts of creatures… He spared no one. He was implacable. Detached. It was the only way to cope – anything different would be madness. And now, stranded in a distant moon, devotedly watching this woman sleep while he painfully wished he could've saved her from carnage, he saw vividly how _humanity _had flourished inside of him, fracturing his saiyan nature forever.

One of Bulma's eyes popped open.

Vegeta quickly and awkwardly withdrew the hand he had in her hair as a frown curved his brow and one of his eyes twitched.

"Were you watching me?" she asked groggily.

He grunted and looked away.

"It's because of this, isn't it?" Bulma said, sitting up and watching the palm of her artificial blue hand, then fisting it tightly. "I must look like an abomination to you."

Her emotions had been out of control in the last day, swinging unpredictably from excitement for the new abilities she developed with the prosthesis, to isolation, violent outbursts of rage, or silent depression. They avoided each other at those times –Bulma didn't want to feel weak in front of him, and Vegeta… well, just didn't know what to do.

"Don't be stupid" he replied, suddenly sounding angry. "You're perfect."

Bulma's jaw dropped slightly at his words. She was expecting an insult, but again, he surprised her. Her expression softened as her emotional outburst faded with Vegeta's comforting words, feeling her insecurities melting away. She knew she couldn't afford to let the mood swings provoked by shock and loss take over her, not now. There would be time for mourning back on Earth.

"I-I'm sorry" she uttered, "I didn't mean to be paranoid about it. And you've been nothing but great and supportive. Thank you for being so sweet, Vegeta."

"I am not sweet!"

"Well, you do touch my hair a lot." Bulma replied with a teasing smile.

He grunted, a hint of red on his cheeks.

"You know, I really like this future version of you" she said with a smile, standing up on the sand and letting him take a good view of her slender body, barely covered by a black bikini. "You're stronger and nicer, more 'together', you know? Sometimes you tell me or do the nicest things and you don't even seem to notice..." She extended her hand down to him, and he took it silently. "You've really toned down on the psychopathic paranoid vibe you had going on when you were younger, haven't you?" Bulma laughed as Vegeta stood up in front of her, before she confessed tenderly: "Future me is lucky to have you."

He struggled against the strong desire to smile, but his gut tightened at the memory of the last look his wife had given him. She was so hurt and distant. He couldn't blame her.

"Too bad present Vegeta hates me," she added as her features darkened.

"I don't... I didn't... I never hated you!" He replied back decidedly, suddenly remembering what a world class jerk he had been to her. Even after Trunks was born...

He had to make it up to her.

That had to be it!

A spark of understanding breathed a new, clarifying perspective into his soul.

Bulma shook her head, turning her attention to the sandy ground.

"Didn't we have sex just a few days ago?" Vegeta asked straightforwardly.

She rolled her eyes as she turned uncomfortably towards the ship.

"Yeah well, that doesn't necessarily mean anything," Bulma muttered quietly, crossing her arms over her chest.

The saiyan snorted incredulously.

"You do not believe that, woman." He made a pause just to emphasize his point. "Have you noticed how important my body is to me?"

"The hell I've noticed..." she whispered, as they walked towards the ship, their arms grazing as they strolled close together.

"Then you know I wouldn't expose it like that with anyone, would I?"

Bulma shrugged nonchalantly.

"I guess."

Meanwhile, a part of Bulma made the dance of victory remembering how he had called her "perfect".

* * *

Bulma stared at her reflection in the mirror of the bathroom, completely naked. Her eyes ran over her soft white skin, from her shoulders and down to her artificial hand, sliding it slowly over her stomach. She was beautiful, but different. Slowly turning around, she examined the iridescent tattoo traced along her back. So little ago, her body had been just like any other gorgeous woman in her twenties. What had she become? "A cyborg?" she muttered, electricity shining subtly on her fingers.

Bulma remembered how she had been fascinated with the idea of cyborgs for so many years. She must've been 5 or 6 when her dad picked up a stray female puppy that had been run over just in front of Capsule Corp. She had lost her two front legs in the accident, and her father dedicatedly worked on a pair of prosthetic limbs for her. In a week, the puppy was miraculously running and jumping around like any other baby dog with two front metallic legs attached to her chest by a harness.

"You see, child," Dr. Briefs said, putting out a cigarette and leaning against a wall in the back yard, "that puppy right there is a fine, state of the art cyborg."

"What's a cyborg?" Young Bulma questioned curiously.

"_If man in space, in addition to flying his vehicle, must continuously be checking on things and making adjustments merely in order to keep himself alive, he becomes a slave to the machine. The purpose of the Cyborg, as well as his own homeostatic systems, is to provide an organizational system in which such robot-like problems are taken care of automatically and unconsciously, leaving man free to explore, to create, to think, and to feel."_

_-Nathan Kline and Manfred Clynes, Cyborgs and Space_

Dr. Briefs looked down at her daughter lovingly and his eyes smiled behind his thick glasses.

"Well, dear, cyborgs are only living creatures like you and me, or like that puppy, with a technological tweak to make their lives better."

Bulma smiled, not fully understanding what her father meant.

"She looks really happy now," the little girl said, looking at the playful puppy chasing a butterfly in her backyard.

Dr. Briefs nodded approvingly.

"She sure is, Bulma."

Now, looking at herself in that mirror, stranded in the middle of space with an alien time traveler, she understood that nothing in her life could have ever been normal or ordinary, but she wouldn't have it any other way.

"Are you still whining about the prosthesis?" Vegeta impatiently asked from outside the bathroom door, "We should get going if we want to find that damn ghost anytime soon."

"I'll be right out," Bulma replied quietly, giving one final look to her naked body before connecting Darwin to her back and letting it assemble over her figure gracefully.

"If it makes you feel any better," the saiyan continued, "our boy thinks your artificial hand is 'cool'."

Bulma could hear Vegeta snorting with amusement before he went on.

"He says it reminds him of that Skywalker weakling from Star Wars."

The scientist chuckled at the thought as she open the door, to reveal herself in front of him, fully armored. He had also got into his saiyan armor once again, and she noticed awkwardly how she suddenly missed seeing him in his earthling clothes. She remembered the conversation she had with Goku the night she saw her children as ghosts, when her friend had hinted that the prince might be the father of her future children. The thought unsettled her greatly back then - she was sure Vegeta would be an awful parent. Now, she was not so sure. She couldn't believe how he talked so naturally and affectionately about those kids.

"I cannot believe this" she muttered as they walked side by side along the corridor towards the ship's exit. "You actually sound like a good father".

He cocked an eyebrow as he turned to look at her, but her eyes were hidden behind the glass of the helmet. The saiyan could only see her lips curled in a defying smile.

"Well if it weren't for me, those kids would be a couple of spoiled brats, just like their mother!" he replied back.

"I am not-!" Bulma couldn't even finish that sentence without feeling silly.

"Of course you are" Vegeta answered, "And for your information, little genius, I am a great father and an even better husband," he said in a tone that reminded Bulma of herself, suddenly grabbing her wrist and making her stop dead on her heels. She turned to him with a sigh. "Do you know what Kakarot's wife called me?"

"Douchebag?"

"Dependable!" He hissed with a cocky smirk. "I am fucking dependable."

Vegeta suddenly felt one of Bulma's arms resting heavily around his neck, as she balanced her armored body against his. The sudden closeness made his muscles tighten with anticipation, involuntarily pushing himself against her. He could see her pink lips smiling subtly, her chest rising as she inhaled deeply, the implacable intention that drove her.

He felt paralyzed and deliciously weak when she pressed her lips against his, kissing him devotedly. She felt his initial hesitation, but he didn't pull away.

"Dependable," she moaned below her breath. "I love that word".

* * *

"_Do not press that button, Tapion! I'm warning you__,__" __Goku threatened with rare seen fierceness __i__n his eyes, addressing the young alien sitting in the time machine._

"_I'm sorry, Goku, but this is only the right thing to do__,__" __Tapion replied decidedly._

_While the hot, dry desert wind blew against his face, the saiyan changed his strategy._

"_You just can't go to the past and change things. She doesn't love you, Tapion, at least not like that. And think about Trunks! He adores you, but his dad means the world to him. You wouldn't do that to him, would you?"_

"_I've thought this through__,__" __he answered seriously, tears clouding his eyes__.__ "__This won't affect Trunks' relationship with his father. I will only make sure she doesn't fall in love with that monster. He has done terrible things, Goku, you of all people know that"_

"_And what about Bra?! Tapion, you're not thinking straight. Vegeta did awful things, but he gained his redemption. People aren't static, they change, they grow, they learn! And those two love each other to death, you don't have the right to get in the way just because you think-"_

"_Then why did she kiss me?"_

_Goku gasped as a drop of sweat rolled down his nose under the hot desert sun._

"_Bulma made a mistake. She was hurt. She wasn't thinking…"_

"_And you know why she was hurt? Because of him. Because she found out he willingly let evil take control of his heart four years ago when Buu attacked the Earth__.__"_

"_Vegeta redeemed himself__,__" __Goku stated quietly, piercing Tapion with the seriousness in his eyes. "Now step out of that machine, Tapion. You are a hero, but you are also a kid. There are things about love and marriage that you couldn't possibly understand at your age."_

"_I'm sorry, Goku__,__" __the alien said gently, courage flooding every inch of his being, "but I'm sure I'm doing the right thing for her."_

_Before Goku could blink, the time machine and the young hero were gone, only leaving the vastness of the burning desert behind._

* * *

"…_and then he took off in the time machine, just like that!" Goku said vehemently to the Supreme Kai of the East as they walked through the large, marble corridors of the palace built on a vortex of time, matter and space where it remained fixed, like a watchtower from where everything and everyone in the East quadrant of the Universe could be seen._

_The ceiling was so high that it seemed to disappear into the heavenly light that flooded every glossy room, and different forms of intelligent space creatures, gods and demi-gods passed through them, forming all together a sort of buzz that was typical of busy places. Goku had stepped into a bank once or twice on Earth and this sure reminded him of it. The Supreme Kai sipped his latte as he dodged a busy looking snake that made a sudden stop to greet an old acquaintance, the pondering look never leaving his eyes._

"_Oh, Tapion__,__" __Kai mumbled absentmindedly as they reached his office, opening the wide mahogany doors and revealing a luxuriously furnished room. "Such a great boy with such a sad story." The god sat behind his large, empty desk as Goku approached him anxiously._

"_I have no idea where in the past he could've gone! We have to stop him, Kai, he has no clue of what he's doing!"_

_Supreme Kai closed his eyes as he focused intensely on what he wanted to know. He opened his eyes again only when the revelation he needed to have sparked inside of him._

"_I know where he went. The Borges moon, 13 years ago."_

"_W-why?"_

"_The Dragon Balls from Namek were taken to the moon by a group of ghosts that want to be revived. Tapion wants to use one of the wishes to break Vegeta and Bulma's forming bond, before she realizes that they're bound to be together." Supreme Kai spoke seriously as he closed his eyes again, reaching into the visions that invaded his conscience. "If she makes the definitive, irreversible choice to stay with the prince, then the wish will have no effect. But if Tapion manages to break the bond first…"_

"_What? What will happen?!" Goku urged with his hands on his head. _

"_I don't know."_

"_YOU DON'T KNOW?!"_

"_Well, time travel works in different ways__,__" __Supreme Kai explained__.__ "__It can either change the future directly, create an alternative timeline or be a part of an ever repeating circle. Tapion might be creating an alternative dimension where Vegeta and Bulma never end up together, or even compromising the existence of their children in this dimension."_

"_But that could be a disaster! What if Vegeta just stays being evil without a family on Earth to fight for?"_

"_The worst could happen. A new, super saiyan Lord Frieza." Supreme Kai sentenced darkly._

"_But how come you don't know exactly how time travel works?" Goku complained with frustration, "Aren't you supposed to be bombnipotent?"_

"_Omnipotent__.__"_

"_Well, aren't you?"_

"_Uh…" The god blushed as he hesitated, "You see, the Supreme Council still hasn't made a final resolution regarding the issue of time travel. There are gigantic egos, lots of personal preferences and millenniums of bureaucracy at stake!"_

"_But Kai!" Goku pouted, "What are we going to do?"_

"_I'll send Vegeta back." Supreme Kai answered, almost like __he were__talking to himself__.__ "__He has a karma bill to pay that's the size of a cathedral. If they manage to bond before Tapion makes the wish, we'll have succeeded. Bulma is about to face a great danger in the past and your saiyan friend will have to help her get through it." He turned to Goku with severity: "Listen, you cannot tell either of them that Tapion went back to the past. I will only tell him that he has to help Bulma on a mission and that she is in critical danger. If Vegeta finds out that Tapion was capable of going to the goddamn past to break them up, he could kill him. The last thing we want is more blood on his hands – __'__specially Tapion's."_

"_Are you allowed to say that word?" __T__he saiyan asked perkily._

"_Wha-?"_

"'_Goddamn.__'__You're a god and all… are you allowed to curse? You shouldn't be__.__"_

* * *

Bulma had regained her brightness, something that deeply and secretly relieved her saiyan partner. He knew his wife like no one else did -an unbreakable, little human female she was- but he feared that the trauma had snapped something inside of her that would silently drag her down and away from him, turning her into something he couldn't understand. However, all it took for him was to see her smiling in awe at the lush, thick jungle of alien nature that surrounded them as they walked into the rainforest to feel the weight of concern being lifted from his shoulders. The scientist was amazed at every inch of new life that appeared before her eyes, and Darwin's technology consistently delivered a stream of new information about everything she looked at. The smell of fresh water and sunshine made her feel gloriously alive, especially after feeling death so terribly close back on the ship.

"I don't even have to take notes!" she mumbled, looking up at the web of branches and blue leaves entangled at the top of the trees. "Darwin is already recording all of this for me"

"Well, enjoy it while you can." Vegeta hissed as he pushed a branch away from his face –damn Bulma who didn't let him blast his way through the trees to preserve the ecosystem and insisted on using a primitive machete to clear the way. "You'll probably be too busy choking on your own blood soon enough to even remember where you're standing."

Bulma turned to the saiyan walking beside her, a scowl on her usually sweet face.

"Gosh, Vegeta, can't you just be nicer? Does it physically hurt you to be nice? I am a lady, not one of your brutish comrades from Frieza's army!"

"I just saved your life! How much nicer do you need me to be?" he snarled.

She pouted and shrugged.

"I was just saying..." she muttered, looking away.

They walked into the jungle in silence for a long time, only the crackling sound of the leaves beneath their feet and the chirping of hidden birds above their heads.

Suddenly, the saiyan felt Bulma's strong grip on his shoulder, signaling him to stop.

"I'm receiving a distress signal," she whispered cautiously. "There's someone here in the moon with us, and they're probably in trouble."

Vegeta shook his head as he waved a mosquito away from his nose.

"Oh no, we're not chasing a random signal in the middle of the jungle!"

Bulma placed her hands on her hips defiantly while she spoke to him:

"Well, prince, let me remind you that you're not in charge. You're only here as a sidekick and we'll do as I say, even if you were sent by the Supreme Kai himself!"

Vegeta rolled his eyes as Bulma stuck out her tongue at him and levitated over the trees before dashing towards the coordinates from where the signal was coming.

With an angry huff, he followed. The insanity with this woman –in the past, present or future- just never, ever stopped. He couldn't deny that he liked some action, but over the years he had gotten really domesticated. Kakarot was constantly drawn to the adrenaline and thrill of the fights and adventures – Vegeta could tell that Goku didn't truly feel like himself when he spent too much time in the complacent normalcy of a homey routine, but the prince was different. Maybe he had spent so much time wandering and fighting during his youth that now his home and his family were sacred.

During their flight over the land they finally managed to spot what seemed to be the ruins of an old namekian temple at the foot of a mountain, made of thick stone and metal walls that were invaded by the unstoppable advance of nature, climbing plants and moss strongly clinging to the abandoned structure. As she got closer, the certainty that it was a temple faded - it also seemed like a primitive space station. Maybe Borges had once been a place for ships to stop while traveling. It did make sense – great location, great climate and landscape, seas of fresh water.

"This is where the signal is coming from," Bulma said as she landed confidently before the building. Vegeta landed after her, inspecting the place with narrowed eyes. The sight of Bulma's curvy back rapidly caught his attention, the narrowness of her waist contrasting enticingly with her striking hips. He swallowed hard as he accepted the desire his mind and body silently claimed since he saw her: he needed to claim her body back – his empire, his playground. Being used to days filled with her, with physical contact, warm nights or her heat trapped beneath him, over him, by his side... the way she kissed him back on the ship made him crave for her even more. Time and its complexities didn't matter: he needed _her._

Bulma suddenly felt the saiyan's warm, well-built body behind her. She smiled.

"I'm actually well aware that this distress signal was probably broadcasted just to lure us" she muttered, taking in the details of the wide entrance that greeted them with steel frames and ancient rock statues of slugs.

Vegeta shot a hard look at her that Bulma caught from the corner of her eye but couldn't decipher.

"I'll cover you," he said protectively. "Now let's get to work, Briefs."

As they entered the building, they were progressively absorbed by an aura of darkness and coldness that clashed with the bright, lush warmth of the rest of the island. No more vibrant chirping of birds: the only sound that greeted them was an overwhelming, hollow silence. It had definitely been a space station once, very long ago. It had been looted so many times that now there was nothing left to steal: the only item that remained in the main hall was a rusty, almost unrecognizable ancient Slurm Soda vending machine, lying bleakly on the cold metal floor.

Bulma felt her heart hammering inside of her, resounding strongly in her ears. Even though she had been bold when she came chasing after that signal, entering the dark, silent building made her shiver immediately. This was it. Darwin was transmitting her information at a savage speed and most of it signaled crazy amounts of ectoplasmic activity. She swallowed hard. This is where the ghosts were hiding.

A flashback hit her like cold water: the haunting vision of her babies, the terrifying strength the saiyan zombie had.

The unforgettable smell of death.

The crack of her breaking bones.

Her artificial hand tingled uncomfortably.

Bulma growled silently. That zombie motherfucker had stolen a part of her that she would never get back. Fear was replaced by anger. Her glance shifted down to her hand as Vegeta noticed how she curled and stretched her blue fingers. He searched her eyes for fear or pain, but he only saw determination. Even though she tried to remember how she'd managed to build the prosthesis or how she attached it to her body with such cold blood, she couldn't. All she recalled was Vegeta's body against hers, the primal fierceness that moved her, the thrill of the accomplishment that came after.

The pulsing savagery she had once been familiar with returned to her at the realization. She approached the old vending machine decidedly, and standing before it, her fisted hands hanging by her hips, Bulma stretched her leg back, only to take it forward violently with a hard kick that made the metal sink beneath the strength of the hit with a loud clank.

"Motherfucker!" She hissed as she kicked the machine again, making it twist and bend, a thick coat of dust and rust bursting into the air. The feeling of power she got at the sight of the materials deforming because of her strength only seemed to spark a whirlwind of anger in her. Bulma kicked, again and again, as she started screaming louder and her hits got progressively stronger. Vegeta didn't stop her: he, of all people, understood.

"WHERE ARE YOU, YOU FUCKING GHOSTS?!" She suddenly yelled at the air, enraged, kicking the vending machine with fury. A sharp electric shock emerged from her spine, electrifying her blood, blue energy cracking in her veins and revolving on her skin and armor, wrapping her in bright blue lighting bolts and expanding her waving aura.

"COME GET ME, FUCKERS!" Bulma screamed like she was out of her mind, as she slammed her foot into the machine once more, violently. The tangled ball of deformed plastic and metal was sent flying against the nearest wall, clashing against it loudly, turning the stones to dust and rubble.

She watched in silent fierceness as the dust settled down and revealed the damaged she had caused, breathing heavily, a drop of sweat sliding down the tip of her delicate nose.

Vegeta silently walked up to her side, his arms crossed over his wide chest and an approving smirk on his face. Bulma turned to look at him, gasping when she saw his usually dark hair turned into a golden flame and his breathtaking emerald eyes. She remembered she saw him like that back on the ship...

The legendary super saiyan. He had finally ascended.

Before she could speak, a deep rumbling sound coming from the door at the end of the main hall made the ground move beneath their feet.

Something was approaching from the dark depths of the abandoned station at a savage speed with unmeasurable strength.

Their eyes locked as the both took a defensive position side by side.

"Your annoying squealing worked" Vegeta said, giving her a conspiratorial smile. "You awoke them".

Bulma let out a short sigh and the saiyan recognized a slight shiver in her hands.

* * *

_The dark power of Babidi had taken his strength to new levels, but he still couldn't rival Kakarot's power. And during the battle, when the younger saiyan mentioned the name of his wife and child to get to him, it was like acid burning on his skin. _

"_Everyone on Earth will be killed! You hear me!? Bulma! Trunks! Everyone!"_

_Vegeta remembered his exact reply with painful clarity: "I keep no loyalties! I have a Saiyan heart that depends on strength alone! They're nothing to me!"_

"_Liar!" Goku spat back with uncanny conviction before smashing him to the ground, "I don't buy it! Talk all you want, Vegeta. But you better convince yourself of it first!_

* * *

"You'll be alright," Vegeta reassured quietly, his thoughts set on his family in the future. "We're a team. These bitches are nothing against the Princess of all Saiyans."


	9. The Princess of All Saiyans

A deep, deafening rumbling made the ground tremble, a great telluric force.

"Princess of all Saiyans?" Bulma laughed nervously as she tightened her fists, awaiting for what was about to crush the gates before them, fear settling on the back of her neck. What could she expect now? She had seen terrible, shocking things. Could it get any worse?

"You won't stop bragging about it like a spoiled brat," Vegeta replied as the muscles of his thighs tensed, ready to jump forward with predatory strength.

Bulma looked at him with concern, only to discover in his unusually soft expression that he was just teasing. Inhaling deeply, she cracked her knuckles and then opened her hands, letting electricity gather in her palms into a ball of energy.

The gates burst open with a loud horrifying sound, a mass of arms, legs and fangs exploding into the room where the saiyan and the human awaited. Bulma's eyes widened as she saw what was approaching them at dangerous speed: a group of around 8 or 10 anthropomorphic creatures awkwardly running or crawling towards them; each of them a gruesome vision. They seemed to have been people once, but now they were a grotesquely recombined mass of rotting, bloody human body parts. Parts of their reshaped skeletons hung out, deformed into long, sharp appendages and large powerful fangs that grew from their unnaturally wide jaws.

"Necromorphs," she mumbled in shock as Darwin recognized the creatures.

In a fraction of a second, Bulma Briefs made a decision. This was the time to fight, and unlike her last encounter with Nappa, she was ready for it. This is what she had been striving for all these months: an opportunity to prove herself that she was brave and worthy. A fighter. She wanted a taste of the thrill her friends experienced in battle, an opportunity for independence in this violent, savage universe.

Without a single hint of hesitation in her body, Bulma leapt forward with the agility of a cat, noticing that the super saiyan followed immediately. Was he… letting her lead?

She landed before a disgusting creature that she would never forget: a crawling abomination, with strong elongated arms and large voracious hands which it used to grip on the floor and move with uncanny fastness, due to the loss of its legs – instead, it had developed a strong, exposed spine that curled up with its leg muscles and intestines into a scorpion like tail, and it's head (oh, that fucking head) had been forced open, splitting the jawbone into horrifying fangs.

With unexpected nimbleness, the creature leapt with its huge arms to attack Bulma, wrapping them around her body with terrible strength. Its tail lurched forward, surrounding one of Bulma's legs and squeezing it painfully. The sudden attack only ignited a violent rush of anger in her, knowing that now would be different: she wouldn't let these bitches hurt her again. Even though the foul smell and horrifying appearance of the monster made her gag, she gathered all her strength in a heart-clenching scream of anger that made Vegeta gasp and turn to look at her as he fought against a group of walking creatures with large bone appendages that were as sharp as swords.

The monster's strong clasp around Bulma's body made it hard for her to breathe and it was impossible to move; knowing that, the necromorph savagely bit her shoulder as if it wanted to take a huge chunk of it right off. Darwin was impressively resistant –her skin was untouched by the large fangs- but her bones suffered from the immense pressure the creature inflicted. She screamed again, trying to break free from the deadly embrace, while the monster still tried to bury its inhuman teeth in her flesh unsuccessfully.

If she could only release her hands to discharge the ball of electricity she had gathered in her fists…

She wouldn't call for Vegeta's help, even though she could see him fighting the bunch of deadly creatures turned in his gorgeous, golden super saiyan form.

The lack of air was turning her vision blurry, and the insistent grip of the monster's disgusting mouth on her shoulder made her wince in pain.

No. She wouldn't lose again. Her lack of response had cost her a hand last time.

Closing her eyes tightly, Bulma focused on the energy gathered in the palm of her fists and instead of trying to shoot it out, she absorbed it, letting it flow quickly back into her body. The electricity ran from her hands, up her arms and into her spine, then spreading powerfully out on her armor, hitting Darwin with a violent, explosive electric shock that charged her up with a dashing flash of white light, a loud destructive wave throwing the electrified monster away from her against a thick wall. Bulma gasped when she saw the creature lying on the floor, completely burned.

The explosion had been bigger than she thought: as she turned around to see Vegeta, the saiyan looked back at her with widened eyes, surrounded by five burned creatures and a dead monster under his foot.

"D-did I do that?" Bulma, still powered up, asked incredulously as she pointed at the black corpses lying around Vegeta.

Staring back at her in silence, he nodded.

"Wow," she said with excitement, approaching the saiyan euphorically. "I can understand how you guys enjoy fighting so much. That was really rewarding!"

Vegeta smirked and moved one of the burned creatures with a foot; it immediately pulverized to ashes.

"When did you become a super saiyan, anyway?!" She asked, pulling a lock of his blond hair, suddenly very aware of the change he had gone through.

He frowned and pushed her hand away.

"Stop that!" he growled. And he suddenly remembered the answer to her question…

_I became a super saiyan wandering in space, blinded by my fury and envy towards Kakarot, just after I left you alone and pregnant with our firstborn child. _

"That's none of your goddamn business," Vegeta continued harshly. "You'll find out soon enough". The darkness in his expression when he spoke made Bulma gasp. She had grown used to his warmer self, but this made her doubt the sincerity of his actions. What if he was just playing some sort of sick game with her? No. The way he talked about their children, how he held her on the ship as she reattached her hand, how he accepted her kiss like he needed the contact… Vegeta was just a hard person to deal with. That was it, wasn't it?

She stepped back.

"Fine!" she replied scowling, "You don't have to be so grumpy about it."

A distant sound from the dark corridor behind the open gates suddenly caught their attention.

"Shit" Bulma hissed, "there's more?!"

Vegeta approached her and placed his hands on her shoulders, making her shift her attention to him at once.

"Are you alright?" He asked with contained urgency.

"Yes" She replied with a confused expression, as her eyes drifted towards the darkness where the sound had come from, but then returned to her partner only to meet his intense gaze.

"Are you scared?"

"N-no," Bulma answered with timid determination.

"Do you trust me?"

This last question resounded in Bulma's mind like the liturgical ring of a bell. Painfully clear flashbacks immediately came back to her: the first time Vegeta arrived on Earth. The dead body of her ex boyfriend on TV. All the destruction and pain they brought with them. How her life changed forever since that day. A cold shiver paralyzed her.

"I..."

"Do you trust me, Bulma?!" Vegeta asked once again as he squeezed her shoulders tightly enough to make her react.

"Yes!" She spat with vehemence, almost involuntarily.

_Where did that come from?_

He smirked, visibly relieved.

"Come here," the saiyan whispered, pulling her towards his body. Bulma hesitated for a second but quickly agreed.

An inhuman roar emerged from the darkness, moving towards them. It sounded like an unnatural group of voices screaming together, deformed by the necromorphic infection.

"Vegeta?" she mumbled, letting him wrap his arms around her, "There's... something approaching, and I don't think its friendly. What are you-"

"Power up" he said gently, "We'll blow that thing to pieces."

She asked no more questions and let electricity explode around her once again, her aura of power entangling with the golden halo of ki that surrounded Vegeta as he charged up, his energy in synchrony with her. They were quickly surrounded by a thick, flashing halo of power that revolved around them like a hurricane.

Bulma felt his devastating energy all around her as her own blue electricity seemed to entice the golden flames from the saiyan's ki, blowing her hair in all directions like stormy wind. Her tattoo was heating up as their energy constantly grew, feeding on each other and turning into something new and deadly.

When the creature finally revealed itself emerging from the depths of the space station, Bulma's mind was already set on hanging on to the electricity she created, igniting her whole body with blue and golden lightning bolts. The monster was bigger and more horrifyingly repulsive than anything she'd seen before: it was nothing but a gigantic mass of deformed limbs stuck together by stiff tendons and sharp bones, mouths and teeth and fangs spread all over it, ready to devour whatever would come its way.

She looked at it in shock and then turned to Vegeta, whose emerald orbs reassured her wordlessly, placing a finger softly on her lips.

"Release it when I say!" The saiyan commanded loudly to make sure Bulma could hear him over the whooshing sound of the wind their energy created.

Bulma nodded, the long hair that stuck out from her helmet brushing against her neck with the wind.

"We'll blow up that ugly son of a bitch!" he said, confidently frowning. "Together."

Her eyes widened at his words, feeling the weight and safety of years of commitment in his rough voice.

The scientist felt the overwhelming presence of the creature behind her as it approached her, leaving a trail of blood and viscosity behind it as it moved forward.

She clenched her teeth and felt her blood boiling with electricity.

The thing violently threw itself against them, and reality bursted right in front of Bulma's blue eyes, melting into slow motion.

The mass of death was only a few inches away from her when Bulma's senses were suddenly enhanced and she could sense everything with perfect clarity. The distance, her power, their power, and what to do.

"Now!" Vegeta yelled, "Release it!"

Bulma squeezed her eyes shut and let out a loud scream as their energy expanded with the strength of an eruption, a thick wave of power burning everything it found. All she could see was white. All she could hear were her own screams. The golden energy of the super saiyan flooded her blood and skin and swirled inside of her with intoxicating heat, interlocking with her own electric power. She felt how the electricity left her body, expanding from her core like a drop falling in the water.

She remembered the sound of the rain...

_Drops of rain ran down her face as she stared into the dark clouds over Capsule Corp. Standing in the middle of the yard, she let the water soak her clothes, her hair, she let it ruin her make up and stain her new high heeled shoes. She suddenly saw him in the distance, dark and dangerous as a wolf, standing outside the gravity room. They stood like that, looking at each other across the yard as the rain fell on them, both apparently oblivious of the cold and the wind and the mud. She wondered what he thought of her. Of her mind, her culture, her body. She was an alien to him as much as an alien he was to her. And even though he was as dangerous as a tiger, she sheltered him, no questions asked. Why?_

_"Oh, he'll make a great son in law," Bunny Briefs said from behind, making Bulma's heart jump._

_She turned around and faced her mother, who offered her an umbrella. Bulma's eyes shifted quickly towards the gravity room: Vegeta was nowhere to be seen._

_"Mom," Bulma said as she rolled her eyes and took what her mother offered, "What are you talking about? He's a dangerous alien! With an awful attitude, by the way."_

_"He's exotic!" Bunny replied giggling. "And devoted," she added with subtle seriousness, an intention hidden behind her apparently innocent words. Bulma took one hand to her wet hair and brushed it off her face._

_"Stop it, mom. You're just being silly."_

_"Right." Bunny replied with well-disguised skepticism as she walked with her daughter back to the house. "Besides, you're engaged to Yamcha. And he's also a great boy. As great as Vegeta, isn't he, dear?" _

"Bulma!" Vegeta called as he removed her helmet, kneeling beside her. Her head tilted loosely in his arms, long blue hair cascading down her back. She reacted as she felt the cold air blowing on her forehead when the helmet was removed, the voice of the super saiyan pulling her out of the flashback and into the surface of reality.

Her words came out weakly with a shy smile as the smell of burnt flesh reassured their victory:

"Did we... win?"

"Of course we did," he replied smugly, watching her rub her eyes and stare in awe at the scattered remains of the gigantic necromorph. She then turned to the saiyan, her gaze glittering.

This was a kind of power she had never experienced and it completely drained her: she loved it, like the thrill of her first teenage orgasm.

"That was... AWESOME! It's so much better than guns!" Bulma squealed with unseen excitement, impulsively hugging him and kissing his cheek effusively.

His muscles tensed, but he didn't make a single move to stop her.

"You've always been such an unrestrained creature," Vegeta muttered, frowning.

"And you always talk like we're in a freaking sci-fi movie and I don't judge you."

* * *

The thick smell of moisture in the air and the ticking sound of droplets were their only companion as they entered the dark, ruined Terminal area. It must have been a glorious place, back in its days, with high ceilings and large gates that led to huge hangars which used to shelter great spaceships from everywhere in the universe.

"Man, I would've loved to work here," Bulma whispered with astonishment as she observed the wide room before them, leaning one of her hands against a wall. She felt Vegeta standing by her side.

"I'll go see if the gates are clear," the saiyan said quietly, "Stay here. Don't move."

"Yes, sir!" she replied, giving him a playful military salute.

Narrowing his eyes, Vegeta approached her and took her face between his hands, placing a gentle kiss on her lips. The gesture was unexpected for both of them, but also equally welcomed.

"Don't toy with me, woman," he muttered seriously, resting his forehead against hers. "I mean it. Stay here, I'll be back in no time."

"I'll be fine. I'm a genius_ and _I'm the Princess of All Saiyans, remember?"

_For fuck's sake, why did I have to bring that up? _Vegeta thought with exhaustion as he turned around and walked away.

"Just put your helmet back on," he said as he walked to the gates that led to the last hangar. "And don't move."

She nodded.

After the saiyan was out of sight, Bulma let out a long deep sigh as she slid down with her back against the wall until she sat on the ground, rubbing her forehead with one hand, Darwin's helmet in the other. The moment when she first saw Goku's tail seemed so distant now, and she chuckled at the thought. If she knew how much stranger events would unfold from that day on... When did everything get so fucked up? Once, some time ago, the mere sound of Vegeta's name would make her shake with rage and fear. Now, it made her heart race with things that were too dangerous to name. She knew well that naming things brings them to life, to existence...

She was witnessing what kind of man he would become in the future and she couldn't believe how much _love _he was capable of giving. Bulma thought of Vegeta in the present and recognized so many little moments where she saw that spark of love and devotion and compassion in him, waiting to be awoken. How he was only a dethroned Prince, a wandering orphan, just a violent kid stranded in a strange world... and somehow he would become a true warrior, a father, a husband. A man.

Seeing the future version of Vegeta display his capability of loyalty and greatness and love and courage only reminded her of what she felt for him as a whole. Of what she felt for him as they lived together in her home, watching him with caution, as one would watch a wounded beast.

At first she thought she wanted him, his fucking perfect body, his enticing personality, a taste of extraterrestrial skin and flesh... the thought of it was so wrong and irresistible it pained her. But then, everything changed when their arguments started. Everything got _better_ – they couldn't stop searching for each other, silently learning from one another with every heated exchange. Every time she cracked part of the hard fortress he had built around him he seemed to despise her for it, only to come back to her, asking for more. The battle of wits turned into steamy flirting disguised under a thick veil of mutual annoyance, only to result in Bulma having sex with Yamcha with her eyes tightly closed picturing the saiyan prince fucking her like a gladiator and Vegeta, waking up in the middle of the night soaked with his own cum.

Their mutual respect and admiration only seemed to grow with every passing day, until everything exploded after he decided to train her during the trip to Namek. After that night together, everything oddly fell into its right place. She loved him. She stupidly, possessively, wildly loved him, after only one great lay. She knew it was a reckless statement to make, but he was like nothing she had ever known. And now that she saw him in a completely different light -but still so like him, so strong in his very essence- Bulma's world lightened with new colors. Everything he did, everything he said kept revealing something she didn't want to believe, or even to name...

Somewhere along the way Vegeta understood he had a soul. A soul, imperfect but alive and gorgeous and fiery...that belonged to her.

Bulma took one of her hands up to her heart, closing her fist tightly, letting the love she felt soak her to the bones. There was no point fighting it.

She couldn't wait to meet their children, she thought smiling, absentmindedly placing her artificial hand over her belly.

_He loves them. He loves me._

Her phone rang with a single note. A text message.

_"Bulma, this is Dana from the United Nations. I'm Ms. Gia M's secretary. She wishes to know how the quest is going."_

Bulma frowned at the message. After experiencing what Darwin was capable of, she was sure she would never ever give it away; even though she understood Gia's desperation to find her son, the fact that she still hadn't found him only made her frustration grow. She quickly typed an answer and then turned the device off, putting it away.

"_PEACHY_"

"Gosh, Vegeta, hurry up" Bulma pouted as she leaned her head back against the thick stone wall. After thinking about him so passionately, a warm feeling of need had pooled up inside of her, a great urge to kiss him making her heart beat wildly.

The moment her skull touched the stone, a cold sensation of vertigo ran down her spine. The stone melted into liquid at her touch, something pulling her inside the wall before she could even scream. The portal hardened back at once after swallowing her, leaving no trace of what had happened.

When Vegeta returned, Bulma was nowhere to be found.

* * *

In the complete, liquid, saturated darkness that surrounded her, Bulma could see nothing, but felt how a thousand invisible hands pulled her in every direction, while she was paralyzed and literally speechless, a maddening buzz vibrating in her ears. Bulma opened her eyes but there was nothing, she tried to speak and not a sound came from her sore throat, her muscles were trapped under the pressure of the forces holding her down. Darwin was completely and painfully dislodged from her body by the invisible forces that moved her like a helpless, boneless puppet.

After Darwin sunk into the darkness and away from her, the sepulchral hands that pulled her moved her into a whirlpool of noise and confusion, until Bulma was violently spit out of the black liquid, falling naked against cold hard rock.

She immediately got on her knees, took one hand to her throat and started coughing, trying desperately to regain her breath.

"Look at that... A tiny _human female, _who would've guessed._"_

Bulma coughed convulsively.

"D-Darwin! Where's my-"

Her vision was still blurry, she was on her knees and she was struggling to breathe, but she recognized a pair of hooves that approached her making a dry clacking sound as they touched the ground with every step. They stopped in front of her face and her gut clenched, suddenly disturbingly aware of her nakedness and utter vulnerability. Her gaze ran upwards through the creature's legs... zebra legs... up to his uncovered strong torso and up his head. An anthropomorphic male zebra with a soft, human like face, towered over her. Even though his skin was covered in short black and white hair, his face and upper torso looked very much like a person, but his mane, ears and legs were all zebra.

She coughed one more time before scowling as her angered bright blue eyes clashed with the zebra-man's inexpressive look.

"Where am I?" Bulma fiercely demanded, still on her knees and trying to cover herself up with her arms. "Where's my armor?"

He looked down at her coolly.

"Did you hear this?" He said with a grin, addressing someone who Bulma couldn't still see with clarity. "She's _demanding answers."_

With no further provocation, the zebra kicked Bulma in the stomach, making her bend and let out a choked moan as she curled up on the floor.

"Don't do that," a new male voice said. "You'll bruise her."

Without the strength to sit back up, she rose her head to see the face of the second man in the distance.

Holy motherfucking shit, a saiyan.

The armor, the scouter, the brown tail tightly wrapped around his thick waist. The resemblance with Goku was uncanny, but the darker skin tone and lack of that spark of glittery innocence in his eyes made all the difference.

"You know how they don't like to receive bruised offerings."

"Sorry Turles," the zebra apologized insincerely, "I couldn't help it. The bitch was asking for it."

Bulma's mind raced to figure out how to get Darwin back before fear took over her. That saiyan, that zebra kicking her hard, the premonitory word 'offering' were clear signs of what she was up against.

They spoke as if she wasn't even in the room.

"Who the fuck are you?" Bulma growled licking the blood from her lips.

The zebra looked at Turles with angered eyes.

"Oh, fine," the saiyan spat. "Have it your way. Just don't bruise her."

"You're leaving?" The other man asked as he saw Turles heading to the exit of the room, "You don't want to watch?"

"Hell no," the saiyan replied, his laughter tapering off as he left.

Bulma gasped quietly, trying to settle with any strategy that would keep her alive until she could get her armor back. She had to build a plan, keep her mind busy, and not let the fear spread.

"You know, you're not usually my type, a crippled human like you," the zebra commented casually, as he stalked in circles around her, watching the curves of her naked body covered in sweat, "but you'll do. It's been too long."

She winced, knowing where he was going: if he couldn't bruise her, he'd find another way to torture her. For the first time in her life, she wished she were a man.

"So," he said, noticing her silence, "not feeling feisty anymore?"

"Fuck off, you... pony on steroids!" Bulma hissed, curling her fingers on the ground as she let her wet hair cover her face.

He snorted. "That's better."

The loud clack of his hooves stopped right before her, as she uncrossed the arms she had wrapped protectively around her as she lay on the ground. He saw her trembling as she rose up in front of him, first getting on her knees and then standing up shakily, naked, dirty and sweaty. His muscular, thick body towered over her and for the first time, she realized how big he was. How tall was he? 7, 8 feet tall?

She straightened up, disregarding how obviously _undressed _she was, and growled silently, her nose wrinkling when she sentenced defiantly:

"You. Will. Not. Touch me"

His tail lashed furiously behind him as he stomped the ground, violently pushing her against a wall with the whole weight of his body. Bulma struggled for air as he crushed her lungs with his weight. With one strong arm he trapped her hands above her head, forcing her legs open against him, painfully grabbing one of her full breasts with his free hand.

"Newsflash, sweetheart: I will do whatever I fucking want with you. You might even like it – I bet you never had such a big dick like mine fuck your brains out before."

Too many vicious answers came to Bulma's mind that she struggled to hold back, but she knew the smart thing to do was to lay low... as much as it disgusted her. He reached his hand down to the black shorts he was wearing, pulling them slightly down. She felt the friction of his inhumanly large, thick, hard cock grazing against her thighs as it sprung free from his clothes, making her pupils dilate with terror. She imagined the pain of having it inside her, her legs stiffening by reflex.

"This will hurt," he whispered roughly against her breasts, licking off the sweat from her skin and nipples.

Was this really happening? Was she really about to get raped?

Her strength was nothing compared to his. No matter how hard she tried to get away, she was helpless. She couldn't even close her damn legs.

With angst pooling in her belly, Bulma shook away these thoughts, focusing on the plan she was rapidly tracing. A one shot plan to get out of this one alive.

A slight thrust from his hips was everything it took for the tip of hard cock to spread her labia and rest tightly in her entrance, drawing a loud gasp of pain from her mouth.

"Am I the biggest dick you've had?" He moaned with a shiver of pleasure tightening the skin in his back.

She clenched her teeth.

"Am I?" He asked louder, pushing the wide tip further inside, tears of pain and shock sliding down her dirty cheeks.

"Yes," Bulma's voice came out in a whimper, knowing that any other answer would probably mean more pain that she could take.

Their eyes suddenly met and the alien grinned with wicked amusement.

"So should I just fuck you the good old fashioned way or should I get creative?"

Her eyes narrowed with tears.

"Creative it is," he said, taking her breasts in one hand, squeezing them together tightly, the sweat making them slippery.

"On your knees!" The zebra commanded, delighted with Bulma's frightened bright blue eyes.

"Not that, please," she begged quietly, as he forced her down. "Please, don't-"

Ignoring her complaints, he held her down forcefully, stepping on her left hand to keep her down.

"You try anything weird and you lose your other hand, bitch," he threatened as he pressed down on it with his heavy hoof, breaking her little finger.

Bulma's scream was abruptly silenced by his erection, violently sliding inside her mouth and stretching her jaw painfully. Grabbing her head and forcing it against his hips, his throbbing cock sinking deeper in her throat, the zebra yanked his head back and kicked the ground with pleasure.

He pulled her back once again.

"Lick," he demanded with a husky voice, grinning when she obeyed.

He didn't complain when she softly brought her free, artificial hand up to his erection, grabbing it by the base tightly. She started licking avidly, like devouring a strawberry ice cream cone.

"Good girl," he said below his breath, as she sucked and licked with sudden devoted passion.

The zebra's cock was wet, dripping and slippery, soaked with Bulma's saliva. She frowned as she started running her artificial hand up and down his pulsing shaft.

"You like that?" she breathed, looking up to him enticingly.

He moaned in response, his eyes rolling back with pleasure.

"And how do you like this?" Bulma suddenly asked with fierceness, squeezing the zebra's wet dick with strength. As a blue electric bolt exploded from her hand, she smiled at the alien's terrified eyes.

From the empty hallway of the old space station, Turles heard the loud, dry explosion of electricity and saw the blue flash of light that came from the room where his partner was.

"Shit" he hissed, running towards the entrance, "I told that idiot not to bruise her!"

Turles was about to be violently surprised.


	10. I don't do teamwork

Intergalactic thankyous to my beta, Ms. **Springandbysummerfall. **Hope she knows how much I admire her brain. Y también un saludo a todos los cabros de Chile que leen mis hueás. Y en verdá a todos los que hablan español, que podrían estar leyendo El Quijote pero pierden el tiempo en mis pelotudeces (que escribo con mucho mucho amor). Muchas gracias.

* * *

Turles' jaw dropped at the sight of his friend knocked out on the floor, Bulma stepping on his body with one foot, like a hunter proudly towering over freshly caught prey. She glared at him fiercely when she noticed his presence, making the saiyan's body shrink involuntarily.

"You saiyans don't scare me" she said darkly, electricity dancing in her fingers.

"What the fuck?!" he hissed, taking a step back and powering up.

"Don't worry" Bulma replied with a frown, approaching Turles with the grace of an armored knight. "I didn't kill your friend, he'll just be asleep for a long while. Hope he learned to never touch a woman without her permission." She knew very well that if she let Turles sense her fear or see her weakness, she'd be screwed… specially knowing how implacable the saiyans could be. At least, she thought, she could put her knowledge about saiyan nature to good use now: all this time with Vegeta and Goku had to pay off. They weren't precisely the most reflexive creatures, so she'd have to rely on her wit to get out of this one.

The plan was to bluff. Bluff like a poker pro because her life depended on it.

Turles snapped, enraged. "Enough, bitch! Shut the fuck up." He leapt forward and grabbed Bulma by the arms tightly, immobilizing her. "You're coming with me!"

The moment Bulma saw him clenching one of his fists to punch her in the jaw, she addressed him again:

"You can't hit me. They don't like bruised offerings, remember? You said so yourself."

"I said, shut the fuck up!"

"What are you doing, Turles?" she asked, confronting him, almost like forgetting the fact she was naked and trapped under his strong grip. "What are you doing here in this old dumpster? A proud saiyan like you, alone with a fucking zebra, in a place like this... Are you working for them? For the ghosts? Collecting these 'offerings' for them?"

He gasped, startled. What the hell was going on? He had left the tiny, naked, helpless woman with his partner alone for five minutes and she had almost killed him! How? And how did she figure things out so damn quickly?

"Shit!" he growled with fury, knowing she was right. Their instructions had been clear: no bruised bodies, no broken bones. The ghosts needed organisms to infect and turn into necromorphs, or to take control of them and feel the breath of life they desperately craved. Finding good bodies got harder with every passing day and he knew he couldn't mess this one up. After all, he was just a mercenary.

Bulma had to get to him, keep him talking, buy herself some time. In order to hold back the fear, she kept repeating to herself that she had been in worse situations, and she had always been resourceful enough to survive.

_If I'm not a warrior, I can still be a survivor_.

"Aren't you wondering how come a young, gorgeous human female like me is alone on an abandoned moon?"

His eyes narrowed at her arrogance, but with all honesty, he was, indeed, confused – his gut told him with certainty that this had to be end quickly, the sooner the better. The saiyan grabbed her with unmeasured strength and forced her to follow him.

"That's because I'm not alone, you jackass!" she screamed, struggling to get free.

"No more talking!" Turles snarled, dragging Bulma into the dark corridors. "And whoever told you you're 'gorgeous' should be impaled. You're crippled. Besides, I like my women with more muscle mass."

* * *

Vegeta cursed the gods with tears in his emerald eyes as he punched the wall. Why had Supreme Kai brought him back, if it wasn't to save her? He couldn't stop Nappa from amputating her hand, now he couldn't even keep her safe for 5 minutes. Was this some sort of game? She was a fighter, he knew that, but he also understood during the battle with Majin Buu that he was meant to be her protector. He couldn't fail her… not again. A well-known spark of rage shook his bones.

He would not.

Fail her.

Again.

His golden aura exploded violently around him, flooding the entire room with light and wind, one purpose igniting like fire in his soul: he had to find her.

* * *

The Z-fighters had almost caught every ghost on planet Namek, and were now resting in the house of one of the villagers that had gladly let them stay there, after a well deserved feast. Even though the place was humble, it was homey enough for the group to be considerably more relaxed than in the spaceship. Even Vegeta felt too full and tired to torture anyone.

Goku stretched on his chair and sighed deeply with a satisfied smile lightening up his kind eyes.

"Oh, man. That was the best lemon tart I've had. And I've had a LOT of lemon tarts…"

"Yeah," Krillin agreed, "It was insanely good. I'm sorry to say this, my friend, but I think it was better than Chi-Chi's."

"Hey!" Goku warned, a frown on his face. "Don't say things like that again."

"But you just said-"

The saiyan's frown deepened.

"I mean it, Krilin. She might hear you. Somehow, even if we're out here in space, she might hear you, and I wouldn't want to be around if that happened."

"You're right. She sure is... something." Krillin paused with a smile on his face. "You know who makes great lemon tarts too? Turtle. I take the coconuts from the palm trees at Kame House, he grates them and spreads them on the lemon tart and then we eat it together, watching The Lord of The Rings." The human snickered at the pleasant memory, but his giggles eventually tapered off and he dropped his head, helplessly, with overdramatic despair. "Yeah, I need a girlfriend

Vegeta snorted.

"You and your pathetic little earthling lives disgust me."

"Ooh you rebel, you're so non-conformist," Yamcha suddenly spat out of nowhere with poorly contained bitterness.

The prince's eyes narrowed and growled aggressively.

"How dare-"

"Guys, cut it out," Goku intervened, trying to lighten the tension up. He was very aware that his friends didn't particularly like Vegeta and hell, he couldn't blame them. And what was going on between the prince and Yamcha went beyond pure resentment over Vegeta's evil ways, obviously. Ever since he was a little boy and Bulma barely a teenager he remembered seeing Yamcha and her together. He remembered how lonely those two felt and how badly they wanted someone to hadn't ended up the way they expected... but Goku, in his pure, wise heart, understood that maybe the prince and the scientist made more sense that she and Yamcha ever did. His thoughts drifted to Gohan and Chi Chi... he couldn't be around them as much as he'd like, but they'd understand, wouldn't they?

"So what are your plans for when we return to Earth, Yamcha?" Krillin hurried to ask, trying to avoid another argument. The bandit shifted his weight uncomfortably and huffed.

"Ehn, I don't know. Probably find someone new to date." He glared at the saiyan prince who sat, legs crossed on the floor in the corner of the room.

"Someone new?" Vegeta said with wicked amusement, "Why? Did that fucking floating cat dump you?"

"Come on, you guys" Goku insisted, "cut it-"

The saiyan's train of thought was abruptly interrupted by a flash of awareness of an impossibly powerful ki. Who could it be?! It was more powerful than anyone he'd met before... even more powerful than himself. Unprecedented, terrifying strength that seemed to have burst in an explosion of energy at once. Could this person or creature have been hiding its ki all this time? How couldn't they feel it before? His eyes widened and sh

ifted to Vegeta instinctively – he trusted his former enemy in a way that escaped reason. The prince nodded as he returned the look of concern: he had sensed the presence too.

"D-did you feel that?" Krillin's voice came out surprisingly weak.

"Yes," Goku replied ominously. "It came from Borges."

"Shit!" Yamcha said, standing up and clenching his fists tightly, "I thought that place was abandoned! Bulma is there by herself!"

"Bitch deserves it," Vegeta hissed, a rush of anger shaking him as he remembered how she rejected his company. "She'll finally find out that the universe isn't made of cupcakes and glitter."

The bandit powered up as rage deformed his handsome, scarred face.

"You bastard!"

"WILL YOU JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP?!" Goku snapped with unusual violence, making everyone go silent. He cleared his throat after his unexpected outburst and addressed Vegeta with seriousness. "This is an amount of power that we've never faced before. I'm teleporting there right now. You should come with me."

"Ha! Like I would team up with you!"

An inviting smirk curved Goku's lips.

"Wouldn't you like to fight whoever is up there? You felt that amazing power! I thought you loved a challenge."

Vegeta's left eyebrow twitched. Kakarot's appealing to his competitive nature was obviously working.

"Fine. But I get to fight first."

* * *

Turles had managed to cuff Bulma's wrists and quickly learned to keep that artificial hand away from him – especially after she grabbed his tail by surprise and tried to electrocute him, that resourceful little bitch. In some way, it was kind of fun to find someone who would be willing to fight back... after planet Vegeta was destroyed and Frieza ruled over this part of the universe, everything had turned to shit for the saiyans that were left. During Frieza's time of authority over the saiyans' home planet, they were reduced to slaves. But now, with no home, no memory, no identity left, the few of them that were left were probably struggling to survive as much as he was. He should've been a proud warrior, a true saiyan soldier, but now he was just a servant, a mercenary to a bunch of ghosts that only made him face pathetic, weak creatures who wandered lost in the universe – and who had the bad luck to end up on Borges. But now... Who was this woman? She had come through that portal right in front of their eyes, they didn't even have to search the station to find her! Had she come... past the necromorphs? Impossible!

He threw her on the cold, hard floor in an empty room -it must've been a private office once- and she shivered. The air was cold and moist and she was naked and tired. She had already lost all hope of finding Darwin -those fucking ghosts probably had it by now- but what still kept her going was the possibility that Vegeta might find her. He had to.

After he dropped her, he headed to the door.

"Where are you going?!" she asked, a sensation of fear settling in her stomach. If he left her, he'd probably return soon... and most likely, not alone. The adrenaline made her emotions unbearable: she felt unstable rushes of excessive power switching with terror and despair.

When he didn't answer, she pushed with anything she could come up with.

"I told you I was not alone, Turles! I'm with a saiyan!"

"You're lying," he growled, not stoping nor turning back to face her. "There are none of us left."

"I'm with Vegeta! Your prince!" she cried as he walked out the door.

Turles stopped, his shoulder blades tensed. He did not turn around as he spoke darkly:

"I don't know how you found out about his name, but if you had ever really met him, you'd know he wasn't big on teamwork. Whatever. I know Frieza killed him back on Namek."

With that, his figure disappeared into the darkness as the door closed heavily behind him.

"Shit, shit, shit!" she hissed as she tried unsuccessfully to unlock the cuffs. They were made of a material resistant to electricity, which basically meant she was screwed and powerless. Her arms burned with the effort and finally, after what seemed an eternity, she gave up and sat on the floor, her wrists between her legs. With a long sigh came a series of painful, recent images into her mind, from the babies she saw to the loss of her hand... then the grotesque figures of the necromorphs and finally, the weight of the zebra man against her body, the way she had almost choked when he stuck his hard erection into her mouth. Her forehead fell against her bent knees and she felt her courage cracking. Now, being alone with her thoughts, she understood the true horrors she'd witnessed.

A tear ran down her cheek and her whole body trembled as she sobbed.

What did I get myself into? She asked herself over and over. How could I be so stupid? How could I think I'd be strong enough to do this?

She had always been as privileged as could get: independent, insanely smart, gorgeous, rich, desirable... now everything seemed to be worthless. Her own struggle between confidence and arrogance had led her to this point of no return... it was sad to admit, even in the dim loneliness of this abandoned dark room, that her cockiness was only a mask for her weakness; for her insecurity. Wasn't it? Wasn't it the reason why she wanted so hard to be loved and desired? Respected by the men she new? Independent before their eyes, strong like them?

It was stupid, everything – she didn't have to prove anything to anyone, she didn't have to define her own worth by other people's standards. But why did she feel so insecure about everything? Why did she feel she needed to be aggressive and tough and bitchy just to disguise how awkward she really felt?

As her tears fell onto the ground, a new vision suddenly appeared: a tiny whirlwind revolved in front of her, a moving mass of bright shiny pixels.

"Ghosts?" she whispered, speechless.

The small dots of light gathered around each other and danced to an unheard music, reordering themselves to form a tall human form which Bulma found disturbingly familiar.

"Charles... Darwin?" she asked herself, her bright blue eyes wide open.

The figure, the beard, the ancient attire... it was just like she remembered him from that edition of The Origin of Species her dad gave her, his wise face illustrated on the back cover, now materialized in a hologram.

Reaching out her cuffed hands to touch him, the pixels moved around her skin as she passed right through the image. Darwin suddenly began walking in circles around the room, as if pondering. It suddenly stopped and faced her, accusingly.

_You contradict yourself._

Yes, I contradict myself, Bulma thought as her gazed followed the hologram's steps, unaware of the frown on her brow. Big deal! People contradict themselves all the time!

The vision towered over her and the reflection of the light of the pixels lit her face.

"So what if I do!" she confronted him. "How could I not contradict myself?"

_You're an unstable woman._

"Please, old man! Humanity contradicts itself. The soul contradicts itself because it is not infallible, is it? We make stupid mistakes and we learn from that, don't we? How else could we change? I am entitled to change my mind, to be flawed and still be smart, trustworthy, strong."

_Can you change?_

She stood up weakly. Get your shit together, she told herself. You're fucking Bulma Briefs. You've used guns since you were 11. You build armors, spaceships, for crying out loud. You fucked a goddamned saiyan prince. You found out about the dragon balls and built the radar to find them! You've been in space, you've fought armies, you fucking babysat Goku, the strongest man on Earth. You're the heir to the most important innovation company in the world... and most of all, you're a GENIUS!

"I am not a machine." She said, her artificial fingers curling involuntarily, "I am far from perfect, but I can change. Evolve. Everything is in motion. Time, the universe. Us. There is nothing unmovable about me, nothing that defines me, nothing that holds me back... I can be better."

The figure continued its endless, anxious stroll around the room in silence and Bulma watched it quietly for hours. She started to lose awareness that it was pacing there, until it became nothing more unusual that the dirt on the ground or the black stone walls. Her feet were unbearably cold, hunger had taken over her and her bones hurt, but she took shelter picturing a bubbling hot tub and a bowl of roasted chicken, which managed to distract her for short periods of times.

When the door was abruptly opened, the hologram shattered to pieces like broken glass.

The dirt on her skin, the wet, sticky hair, the glossy surface of her artificial hand, the tattoo traced along her back made her look nothing like the woman everyone was used to seeing back on Earth. For Turles, she was just an exotic prisoner with an unsettling, dangerous glow in her eyes.

She saw his figure standing on the doorway, his tail lashing violently behind him.

The saiyan approached her until the tip of his boots touched her knees and she looked up to him coldly.

"Let's go."

Bulma didn't fight back this time when he dragged her back into the dark, moist corridors.

"Won't you tell me where you're taking me?" she asked recklessly.

Turles couldn't help but roll his eyes at the insistence of this woman. He was surely curious about her -and unsettled, too- but for his sake, he knew it was better to avoid questions and interaction.

"You saiyans are all the same, just a bunch rude monkeys!" Bulma complained, blowing a strand of greasy hair out of her face.

He turned around and faced her, not letting go of the cuffs.

"The nerve! I should just kill you!"

"But you can't, can you?" The hint of disdain and defiance in her voice was a nice touch, she thought. Maybe she went a bit too far, but she knew this was the way to keep a saiyan entertained.

Turles knew the ghosts were getting weaker with every passing day. They had created zombies, visions, new necromorphs and possessed bodies for the last weeks frantically in order to fulfill their plan. But they were running short of living creatures and now, the scarcity had gotten to a critical point. If he killed the human, the ghosts wouldn't be able to use what really mattered: her life energy. If he didn't bring a living creature soon, he was next in line. And although Bulma didn't know this exactly, she could tell he needed her alive rather than dead.

"Stop playing whatever little game you're playing, you insolent bitch!" Turles snarled.

"Who's really the insolent bitch, Turles?" she replied, pulling the cuffs towards her, making the saiyan trip and bump into her. "How dare you talk like that to your princess! That's right! Your princess!". She narrowed her eyes for dramatic effect and whispered ominously: "I am Vegeta's wife."

"Enough with that! You're insane!"

A message suddenly popped up on his scouter screen.

_Live intruders in sector 7G. Report immediately._

His eyes widened.

"What the fuck? Live intruders?" He said out-loud, catching Bulma's attention. "Walk faster, human! I'll drop you off and see who's the poor bastard wandering around this hellhole."

She couldn't help to smile and hope, for the sake of her life, it was Vegeta's presence Turles' scouter had sensed.

Grabbing Bulma and throwing her over his shoulder, the saiyan dashed to the end of the dark corridor. Without even time for her to complain, he entered through a supernatural portal on the wall and reappeared on the top of a mountain. He dropped her on the grass and hurried back to the portal that would take him to the space station.

As she got on her knees, she looked around trying to figure out where she was: the first thing that caught her sight was the smoking crater of a volcano only feet away from where she was, and then, the height of the mountain where she was standing, the breathtaking view of the Borges moon, its islands and oceans. The grass beneath her feet was as blue as ever, swaying with the mild wind, the gentle purring of the land by the volcano and the tall column of smoke were the only things she saw or heard.

He hadn't set her free, had he? Her eyes inspected the landscape anxiously. Of course not. The ghosts had to be there, somewhere.

* * *

As they passed by the remains of countless dismembered, burned necromorphs in the station, Goku and Vegeta exchanged puzzled looks.

"Boy, these things are ugly!" Goku commented as he pushed a head with the tip of his boot. "They must've given Bulma a very hard time."

"It seems there are none left... at least that earthling learned something from what I taught her," Vegeta remarked coldly, looking around. The sound of her name made his heart jump inexplicably, so he rushed to change the subject before his mind wandered off. "Can you still feel the ki we're looking for?"

The younger saiyan closed his eyes and focused deeply, as if trying to identify a single note out of a complex symphony. Yes, there it was... distant, but crystal clear. So powerful yet so...

"Good?" Goku asked out loud without opening his eyes.

"What are you saying?"

His eyes suddenly popped open, his face lightening with a huge smile and a glitter of joy in his black orbs. He grabbed the prince by the shoulders and squeezed him with excitement.

"It's good, Vegeta! That great ki we sensed belongs to a good soul!"

Vegeta's brow twitched.

"Aren't you excited? Can you imagine how much we can learn from this guy?! I mean, who could it be?!"

The prince pushed Goku away in disgust.

"'Learn'?" Vegeta stretched the word with a snarl.

"Let's go, quick! Maybe he can tell us where to find Bulma!"

* * *

When they entered the terminal area, the ki seemed to disappear again. It went on and off, which only made the search hard and confusing. When suddenly, another ki appeared in the picture.

They barely heard the steps behind them. A saiyan who looked disturbingly like Goku...

His shocked expression at the sight of Vegeta and Goku went far beyond the mere surprise of encountering intruders.

"Who are you?" Goku rushed to confront him, taking a defensive position. Turles opened his mouth but not a sound came out, until he managed to point at Vegeta with one trembling finger with terror.

"You..."

"Didn't expect to see you here, Turles," Vegeta grinned smugly.

Goku turned to the prince.

"Do you... know this guy?"

"Yes", Vegeta replied taking a step forward, "we served in Frieza's army for a while together until he left to pursue his own interests. He and a bunch of allies became space pirates. Worthless mercenaries."

"You were supposed to be dead!" Turles finally snapped, realizing that that woman had been telling the truth all along. If Vegeta found out what they'd done to her... A cold shiver ran down Turles' legs, making his knees weak.

"Do you have Bulma?" Goku interrupted, powering up. "Where is she?!"

"B-Bulma?"

"Young human, blue hair and eyes, artificial hand... Don't lie to us!"

"So it's true," Turles muttered, looking at Vegeta. "That human is your wife!"

The prince's eyes widened.

"Wha-"

Goku rushed to interrupt:

"So you do have her, then!"

"Oh, Prince," Turles cajoled, "Forget about her. She's history. The ghosts must've eaten her by now. But look at us! Three saiyans reunited, the only ones of our proud race left in the whole universe. We can leave this hellhole, be the unbeatable warriors we were meant to be! Together we'd be unstoppable... legendary."

Vegeta's nose wrinkled as his wolfish white fangs showed.

"I don't do teamwork."

"But think of the power, my prince! Of the opportunities! Hundreds of planets conquered by us... power, endless power!"

Vegeta growled.

"I don't like your face."

"Hey!" Goku interrupted, pouting.

The prince suddenly powered up and leapt forward towards their enemy. Goku followed quickly, blasts and explosions soon lighting the room.


	11. Angel of Death

"Oh my, she's all filthy!" a whisper said in the wind.

Bulma turned around and saw no one, but sensed movement all around her.

"Gross! So dirty. We'll have to clean her up before the ritual."

"Who's there?!" she yelled, frantically trying to release herself from the cuffs, only managing to scratch the skin of her wrists.

A ghost materialized in front of her making a cold breeze touch her face. Long, green, braided hair, green skin, soft and handsome features, muscular body... What the hell? She knew him! Her mind flashed back to Namek, during the frantic pursuit of the dragon balls while they tried to stop Frieza. She didn't know his name, but she certainly remembered who he was: one of Frieza's high-ranked soldiers, who she'd found, by the way, incredibly attractive the first time she saw him.

"Well hello, dear. We were expecting you... we'll have an awful lot of fun together" he cooed, his cold fingers sliding along her jaw. His gaze ran down her body, which caused him to smirk with pleasure. However, his smile quickly vanished at the sight of her hand and his tone turned to utter disgust when he spoke again: "What's that?"

"My hand" she replied as if pointing out his stupidity.

He looked at her offendedly. "Don't push it!", he threatened, before turning away from her, his long silky hair lashing in the air. Muttering to himself, his face stressed with concern and rage: "This artificial device is not good. Not good for the sacrifice."

"One of your zombie friends amputated my left hand. You should thank him." Bulma snarled.

"Those brutish idiots can't do anything right!" Zarbon hissed, turning back to her.

"You don't remember me, do you, pretty boy?" she asked unexpectedly, her eyes regaining some of their confrontational glow.

"What?"

"Right before you died, jerkass!" Bulma growled, struggling to get free from the cuffs. She was sick and tired of being naked, assaulted, hit, humiliated by this troop of worthless, violent idiots. They didn't have the right to just toss her around like a puppet to fulfill whatever their sick plan was. "You were one of Frieza's bodyguards. I was in Namek with a group of earthlings searching for the dragon balls."

Zarbon's eyes narrowed as he inspected her and huffed... when suddenly, it struck him. It was the same human from Namek! The new tattoo, the cyborg-like hand, the dirt on her hair and the lack of clothes made her almost unrecognizable. And that fierce look in her eyes... why was she so confident? Hadn't she realized she was about to die? But she had survived Vegeta... and FRIEZA!

"How the hell did you get out of there?!" he asked, grabbing her tightly by the neck.

"I have... powerful friends" she managed to breathe as he choked her, her feet dangling as he lifted her off the ground.

"Listen, you disgusting little whore: I don't care who you are or where you come from, because now you're nothing more than a piece of living meat we need. So we can do this the hard way or the easy way. What will you choose?"

"F-fuck off"

Bulma felt his cold, strong grip tightening around her neck: it was happening, he was strangling her. Her heart raced wildly, her legs struggled convulsively, a cold rush of fear soaked her muscles. Fear of pain and death; also, utter uncertainty of her fate. She tried to scream but desperately chocked as she fought for air. First her feet went numb, then a disturbing tingling feeling spread across her legs, up to her hips... then it splashed through her blood up her brain, finally forcing her to close her eyes and let her consciousness slip through her fingers like sand. Black, silence, the vertiginous feeling of falling backwards into a dark abyss.

It was a hot summer night in Capsule Corp. Bulma opened her eyes with her heart beating strongly against her chest, sitting up on the bed like she had awoken from a nightmare. She brought her hand to her forehead as she realized how dizzy she felt, and looked around incredulously. It was her perfectly familiar bedroom just as she knew it. The same view out the curtains, the same fresh smell of summer evenings. Her comfortable bed felt soft beneath her weight, and her figure in that black silk short nightgown was as gorgeous as always. With awe, she touched her left hand with the tip of her fingers, not believing what she saw and felt: her biological hand, it was back!

"Was... was everything a dream?" she asked herself in shock, getting up weakly.

"Bulma?"

Was that Goku's voice at her door? What was going on? Was she really back home?

Still terribly disoriented, she turned the knob an opened. Was it him, her childhood friend? Was it really Goku standing in front of her in a pair of jeans and a white sweatshirt? He was as tall and handsome as always... his sweet, oh so sweet smile...

"Hey you" he said quietly, hugging her warmly. "Your mom told me you'd be awake. I'm so glad you actually were!" Bulma hugged him back impulsively, not sure of what was going on. She felt drunk and incapable of performing any kind of reflection upon her acts. But still, the rush of recklessness that invaded her didn't feel bad. It didn't feel bad at all. Bulma inhaled deeply as he still held her close. God, he smelled good. Like sunshine and strawberries – why hadn't she noticed how good he smelled before? Something tingled in her belly, a smile curved her pink glossy lips. Not letting him go, she closed the door behind them.

"Oh, Goku" she whispered as she kept hugging him, "I had the most awful nightmare. I'm so glad you're here now"

"Yeah, you looked tired" he whispered into her hair, pushing his well-built body softly against hers, his hand sliding up and down her back in a comforting -and arousing- way. It felt so good, Bulma thought as dizziness kept her from thinking things through. She couldn't reason, and her senses seemed to explode and amplify with every new stimulus that struck her.

"Why are you here?" Bulma asked suddenly, pulling apart from him and staring into his dark, gentle eyes. Her strength seemed to fade, his body was calling her implacably, pulling her like a magnet.

"Do I need a reason to see my oldest friend every once in a while? You always tell me how I never show up at your parties and reunions..." he replied confidently as he grinned, touching her chin with a finger. Her legs trembled. "I wanted to see you... we never get the chance to play anymore..." Goku pushed her softly towards the bed, making her fall against the comfortable mattress. She bounced softly, her hair cascaded down her shoulders, and she felt a familiar heat between her legs as the saiyan's body covered hers slowly.

"Goku..." she moaned involuntarily as their eyes met intensely. "What are you doing?"

"Kissing you" he replied before leaning over her and kissing her deeply, making Bulma spread her legs open and wrap them around his waist. It was raw fire burning in her blood, the need of having him now, the wetness pooling up between her legs, the need to feel his heat, skin, his muscles and flesh and the beating of his heart.

"Why can't I control myself?" she moaned as she rubbed herself tightly against the growing erection that she could feel through his pants.

"Because you don't want to" Goku whispered sweetly as he ripped the straps from her nightgown and revealed her full breasts. The innocence in his voice clashed violently with the straightforward, confident way he grabbed her breasts firmly and licked her nipples passionately, the delicious warmth and wetness of his tongue and mouth making her shiver. She was a grown woman... what had taken over her? What had taken over her childhood friend? Why did she feel so powerless? Things weren't making any sense... her body seemed to move with a will of its own, displaying a kind of sensuality that was completely new to her. She couldn't deny that she had fantasized about Goku before... several times. After all, they had known each other for the longest time and he had become this strong, tall, rock-hard warrior that any female would want. And she realized she lost any chance to try anything with him after he married Chi-Chi... so what had gotten into him now? She knew Goku was far from being the perfect husband, but he surely was a faithful one. God, this was so wrong... and Vegeta?! He had that saiyan heat that made her weak on the knees, that spartan perfection... just like Goku, but there was so much more about him. The darkness, the wild fire in his heart, the way everything but them seemed to disappear every second they spent together. That's what she really craved. If she knew all these things, why couldn't she stop what was going on? Why couldn't she control her overly aroused body, why couldn't she manage to speak up and stop this completely wrong... delicious... painfully sexy situation at once?

"Don't you wish it was you who took my virginity?" he purred against her neck as he tore her black lacy panties with the dexterity of a ninja, making her gasp.

Her mind rushed with questions and answers but the only thing she managed to articulate were moans.

"G-goku!" She felt the world spinning under her, suddenly his body and the taste of his mouth became the only thing that seemed certain, real. She closed her eyes tightly, pleasure and vertigo tensing her muscles.

And then, a hard thrust against her wet entrance, his whole hard length slipping into her core. Bulma opened her eyes at once screaming with pleasure, only to see Vegeta on top of her, all tanned skin and perfect abs, sliding his warm body against hers, pushing himself even further inside. Vegeta? Was she high? What the fuck was going on? A little voice inside of her insisted that it didn't matter... it felt too damn good to stop and think now, logic and reason could wait. Her body was on autopilot, and desire resounded in her chest like a war drum.

"Why can't I leave you?" he asked huskily as his hips moved delightfully slowly, "Why do I keep coming back to you?" Vegeta licked her lower lip and bit it softly, as she buried her fingernails into his scarred back. "Why can't I get enough of you, human?" He looked deeply into her eyes without hate or resentment, but with actual amazement and confusion. It was almost like if the walls he had built around him had collapsed and she was witnessing a rare, precious moment of vulnerability.

Her eyes widened at his words and her whole body trembled at his intensity. Taking her hand up to his face, she pulled him close into a warm kiss, letting him slide his tongue into her mouth as he spread her legs open to go in deeper.

"I can't get enough" he moaned against her lips.

"You don't have to leave" she whispered breathlessly, heat and tension pooling up in the muscles of her lower belly.

"You're my home, Bulma. I'll never leave"

The sudden change in his voice made her pull away from him and take a look. It was Vegeta, 14 years ahead. Her mouth closed and opened but not a single sound came out. He smiled at her with unprecedented understanding before he slowly leaned in towards her and kissed her earlobe as he whispered devotedly:

"I love you"

She gasped and breathed his name, holding on to him for dear life, letting his words and the feeling of his satiny skin drench her with their heat.

Then, everything stopped.

It was like she fell in a dark pit, screaming her lungs out.

Down, down, down...

She should've crushed against the ground, but the minute her body touched the surface, she opened her eyes and saw Zarbon on top of her, stabbing her with a ceremonial life on the shoulder. The clear skies above her blinded her, and the sudden rush of pain that shook her entirely paralyzed her.

"These damn drugs aren't working like they should!" Zarbon hissed when she saw her eyes open, her pupils dilating with terror. He pulled the knife violently out of her shoulder, making her moan loudly. He smiled at her pain.

"Vegeta" Bulma whispered weakly, pain making her nauseous. She closed her eyes and tears ran down her cheeks, utter fear taking over her, her warm blood running down her arm.

"What did you say?" Zarbon asked with a snarl of disgust.

"Vegeta!" she called again, this time louder. Her heart resounded in her ears, her head was spinning, her mouth was dry.

"What the-? What do _you_ have to do with that monkey?!"

Bulma's vision was blurry, her lungs hurt with angst. And then... it couldn't be. She blinked again. Was she delusional? Behind the green alien, a golden light shone like the holy glow of salvation.

The warm aura expanded behind them, glowing on her skin. Then she heard it.

"Hey, Zarbon"

She closed her burning eyes again and sighed slowly. Thank you, Kami. It was his voice. His voice. His familiar, comforting, perfect voice. A wide smile drew on Bulma's lips, as Zarbon shot her a look of pure horror.

"What the hell is going on here?!"

Slowly, he turned around and met the gorgeous vision of the Prince, shining like pure sunlight as a super saiyan.

Bulma giggled weakly.

"Oh Zarbon" she said with relief, "You are so screwed."

Zarbon stared at Vegeta in awe. The saiyan glared at him with hate. Disdain. That same look he had given him right before he blasted him to pieces in Namek.

"Get off my wife" Vegeta growled, throwing something callously at his enemy.

The green man's eyes narrowed and then widened when he grabbed what the Prince had tossed him instinctively. Something heavy, warm, covered in blood...

The zebra man's head.

Bulma gasped. She couldn't killed him when she had the chance, even though she sure felt like it. Vegeta, on the other hand, didn't doubt for one second.

Zarbon dropped the severed head with disgust and surprise.

"You killed our mercenary!" he roared, "What is going on! What's with the blond hair and what do you mean by 'wife'?! Are you telling me you married a fucking earthling?"

Bulma supported herself on one elbow as she rose from the grass to see the men better. Vegeta looked godlike. Implacable. He took slow steps and his golden aura revolved around him, like an angel of death.

"I owe you no explanations, Zarbon, but I'm feeling chatty today. The golden hair? Right, you died without knowing: the legend was true. I became a super saiyan, Frieza's worst nightmare. And yes, I killed your mercenary. Aren't you pathetic? Making a Zebra do your dirty work?" Vegeta shook his head and tsk'd. "You think I wouldn't find out what kind of scumbag he was and what he did to my wife? Because yes, poor Zarbon, that earthling is my wife. Her name is Bulma Briefs. She's an engineer who put Frieza's pitiful machines to shame and has more intelligence in her pinky finger than King fucking Cold's army of scientists."

Zarbon was shocked and paralyzed He watched as Vegeta approached menacingly.

"We have two kids. They're warriors. Just like their mother."

The green man's eye twitched with terror.

"Vegeta, we can.. talk about this. We were teammates for so long... I'm sure we can work something out"

The saiyan snorted.

"Do you want to know what happens to the men who dare to lay a finger on my wife?" he threatened, his fangs showing.

Zarbon's eyes drifted to the head rolling slowly to his feet.

"I would gladly rip your head out with the spine still attached to it if you were alive. But you're not. Too bad."

Bulma heard a click. She saw Vegeta's hand playing with a capsule.

"You know, Bulma builds capsules. It's a wonderful technology I had never known before meeting her." He pinched the capsule between his thumb and index finger, showing it to a shocked, deranged Zarbon. "You know what this little thing does?" He popped it open with a cocky smirk.

"It traps ghosts. Like you, Zarbon! What a happy coincidence!"

Before the green man could speak, the saiyan tossed the capsule towards him. With a poof, the capsule sucked him in and trapped him like a cloud of smoke.

Bulma's arm trembled and she collapsed back to the ground. Right after Zarbon was completely trapped, Vegeta rushed to her side, his heart racing at the sight of the deep wound on her shoulder.

"W-what took you so long?" she mumbled quietly with a teasing smile.

The saiyan knelt down beside her and carefully lifted her in his arms, taking in the details of her wound to figure out the gravity of the injury. He saw the severed tendons, the exposed bones, the torn flesh... Unspeakable terror took over him. What if she lost her arm too?

"You should be thanking me, ungrateful woman" he whispered gently.

Bulma closed her eyes with a smile. She felt so safe now, with his heartbeat against her ear.

The super saiyan kissed her forehead slowly.

"I thought I wouldn't find you" he confessed below his breath, to his own surprise.

"I _always_ knew you'd find me, Vegeta"


End file.
